


All I Want (Is You)

by keithsicle



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, But I Love Them, Fluff, Hopeless pining, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, M/M, clueless Keith, clueless Lance, it's fine the emphasis is obvious, okay you can read now, they're so dumb, this was supposed to be filled with italics, why are they not together already
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:08:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 26,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27177652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keithsicle/pseuds/keithsicle
Summary: Keith has been in love with Lance since high school.And how he deals with it? Distance. He creates space between him and Lance, setting boundaries, and drawing lines, so that whatever happens, he won't screw up the best friendship he's ever had. He's adapted to being friends with someone who will never love him back, and for a while, it's doable.But when Keith agrees to a vacation with his friends--that includes a whole lot of Lance--he's in for a vacation unlike any other.
Relationships: Allura/Shiro (Voltron), Hunk/Shay (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 108





	All I Want (Is You)

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, wow. Hi.
> 
> So, back in July, I was up late one night doing some writing and finally went to bed around 2am. Naturally, this intriguing fic idea popped into my mind as I was falling asleep, but because I was so tired, I chose not to write it down. Fast forward to the morning and it takes a couple minutes, but I remember it all! I immediately outlined this story as much as possible and just went from there.
> 
> I got VERY invested in this fic and wrote about a third of it within just a few days. However, I had another wip going on at the time that needed all of my attention, so this fic had to be put on the back burner for about a month or so. 
> 
> And here we are, a day later than I originally planned (happy belated birthday keefy boy), with a finished one-shot that I hope you love reading as much as I loved writing it! I never thought I'd have so much fun writing fanfiction about two idiots that completely stole my heart, but I absolutely did.
> 
> So, without further ado, happy reading <3

Keith fell in love with Lance exactly two years and seven days ago.

It wasn’t like he was intentionally counting or anything, but it was hard to ignore when someone made your heart stutter and your words falter for such a long time.

There were a number of moments that Keith could remember clearly, as if they had just happened yesterday. Moments where Lance stuck out and shone so brightly, Keith would have had to have been blind to not notice him.

He first thought it started when Lance introduced him to Hunk and Pidge. For most of his life, Keith had a tendency to be alone. He didn’t play soccer with the other kids at recess or go out of his way to meet new people. It just wasn’t him. He didn’t mind it, though—he enjoyed being on his own. That is, until he met Lance. Lance opened up a whole new world for Keith, starting with introducing him to his own friends. It had taken a while for Keith to feel comfortable around Hunk and Pidge, but when he finally came around, life seemed. . . brighter, somehow. Suddenly he was going out at night and staying up late to text in group chats. He had people to look for at lunch and people to complain about other peers and teachers with.

But that wasn’t it. 

Meeting new people didn’t make him fall in love with his best friend.  
There was that point in high school, when Keith came out—in the least flattering way possible—to his friends. He had had one too many drinks at a party which ended with him up against a wall with some closeted jock flush against him. It was Lance who found him and Lance who pulled Keith away, saving him from embarrassing himself any further. Word had gotten around about Keith’s. . . taste, and for the most part, people didn’t care. Everything was fine until James Griffin caught wind of the news and made it his life goal to torment Keith endlessly about the revelation. Again, it was Lance who was there to back him up and defend him when no one else would. It was Lance who sat beside him in the principal’s office with a bloody nose and a bruised face.

And maybe that was the moment where Keith’s heart started to tick for a new reason, but it wasn’t the moment.

No, the moment happened in Keith’s senior year of high school. 

For months, Lance had been going on and on about a girl in his bio class; Madelyn Clark. Whenever they saw each other, Keith received an earful about the cute girl that sat in front of Lance every second period. After months of persuasion from Hunk and annoyed looks from Keith, he had finally asked her out and she had said yes. Lance was ecstatic that night and left Keith’s house with a huge grin plastered across his face. Not long after he had left, Keith received a phone call alerting him that something had happened to his dad and that he should come to the hospital right away. With his heart in his throat, he raced to Altea Hospital, calling Shiro on the way to let him know what was going on. His dad passed minutes after he arrived, the burns on his body too severe and the smoke in his lungs too strong. For the first time in years, Keith let his tears fall and for what felt like hours, he cried. And to his complete surprise, Lance showed up alongside a solemn Shiro. When he asked him about his date, all Lance had to say was: “You’ll always be more important than whatever girl I’m chasing.”

Every year on the anniversary of his father’s death, Keith remembered how Lance had ditched his date—with a girl he had been pining after for months no less—just to be with his friend.

To Keith, it meant everything. His whole life, he never thought or expected someone to put him before their own personal gains. He had accepted at an early age that that was how it would always be and that no one would ever change that.

Lance stayed by his side through everything. As Keith experienced the seven stages of grief and then some, Lance was there—always.

When he graduated high school, Keith chose a college a half hour away from home so that he wouldn’t have to move away and so that he could be near his friends—near him.

Lance followed suit, going to a university not far from Keith’s so that he, too, could stay close to his family. Hunk and Pidge, on the other hand, moved out of state for special programs that weren’t offered nearby. They visited often during holidays and came down for weekends when life wasn’t too crazy and schoolwork permitted it. This didn’t bother Keith too much as he was always closest with Lance anyway. There were moments that he missed his friends, but ultimately, having just one friend was enough for him.

Two years went by and nothing really changed. Keith went to school four days a week and spent his free time working at the local auto store. As Lance went on more and more dates and Keith’s feelings only intensified, he found it easier to busy himself with school and work to avoid dealing with what was going on than to admit something was going on. He knew there was no way in hell he would admit his feelings out loud to Lance. It was better that way. 

But then Lance had a sexual awakening and realized that he not only liked girls, but boys too. And since Keith was the only friend still living in their hometown, he was the first one Lance told. He supported him, of course, but the news wrecked him. It was one thing to know that Lance was unattainable because he would never be attracted to Keith, but it was a whole other ordeal knowing that there was a chance now, and that even with that chance, it was unlikely to ever happen.

So as a result, Keith did his best to hide from the world. He picked up extra shifts whenever he could and put all of his remaining energy into school. He made it almost impossible to hang out with Lance or anyone for that matter. He hated every second of it and every day he considered ending this ridiculous routine he had created. But he was stuck, and he didn’t know how to fix it without ruining things further.

His second year of school came to an end in early May which opened up even more time for work. His boss was more than happy to schedule more time for him, but Lance was also eager to see his friend. 

After months of hiding and lies, Keith finally gave up. He missed Lance and not seeing him every week was killing him slowly. They started hanging out again, going ‘round to Lance’s house for meals and video game tournaments and spending nights in the city where they let loose.

Keith had his friend back and he swore that he would never let him go again, even if it meant shoving his feelings deep down, where even he couldn’t reach them.

—————

“Keith, buddy, please tell me you’re driving the speed limit.”

Keith rolled his eyes at Lance’s comment and kept his eyes focused on the road ahead of him. They were on their way to pick up Hunk and Pidge from the train station and Keith’s car was. . . not in its prime time. He knew there was some work that needed to be done and it desperately needed a new paint job, but it wasn’t that bad.

“Would you quit fumbling with the radio and pick something already?” he complained, swatting Lance’s hand as it moved to switch the station for the umpteenth time.

“Nothing good is on!” Lance whined.

“Then we’ll turn it off.”

“And sit in silence?” he gasped. “Heathen.”

Keith rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time and picked a station at random. He sent his friend a quick glare to warn him not to argue. “I’m remembering why I didn’t want to be in a car with you for an hour.”

For all of the past week, Lance had bugged Keith about going with him to pick up Hunk and Pidge. He claimed that it would be boring if he had to sit in a car by himself for an hour with no one to talk to. At first, Keith argued that there was no need for both of them to meet their friends, but when he realized that Lance wouldn’t give up, he decided to go as long as he was the one who drove.

It was also nice to have some more alone time with him, not that he was thinking about it.

“Keith, it’s too hot,” Lance complained, his voice rising a few octaves. “Can we please stop for slushies or something?”

That was one thing that the two of them could agree on. The AC had been a bit wonky the last couple of months and with everything going on, Keith hadn’t had time to get it looked at or even take a stab at it himself. 

And unfortunately for them, a heat warning had been issued for the weekend, the weather expecting to climb into the danger zone. Keith couldn’t believe he had left his cool, comfortable apartment for a few hours in a hot car under the scorching sun, with Lance no less.

Sweat trickled down the sides of Keith’s face and the back of his neck. He had tied his hair up before leaving to alleviate his neck from the weight of his hair, but now it was coming undone; baby hairs poking out and drifting in front of his face. He was parched, mentally cursing himself and Lance for not grabbing some water bottles before heading out.

As if to back up Lance’s point, the car raced past a sign alerting drivers of an upcoming rest stop. Sighing with relief, Keith switched lanes in preparation of their exit off the highway. They could use some extra gas anyway. 

Noticing the change in direction, Lance gave Keith a grateful smile and went back to staring out the window.

About five minutes later Keith pulled up to the gas station and put the car in park. Lance leaped out of the car, breathing in lungfuls of fresh, hot air—cooler than the air they breathed in the car at least. 

He turned to Keith and waved his wallet in the air. “I’m gonna go get us some slushies. You want your usual?”

Keith tried to ignore the way his heart jumped at the thought of Lance knowing what he likes. He turned away to grab the gas pump and said, “Yeah, thanks.”

Once he was done, he walked inside the gas station and waited in the seemingly endless line of customers. Lance joined him a few minutes later—having been closer to the front of the line—and handed Keith his cherry and blue raspberry slushie. 

The line moved rather quickly and Keith and Lance were back in the car in no time. He moved the car to the parking lot so they could sit for a few minutes and quench their thirst. Lance went on and on—as he always did—about how Keith should venture out and try adding more flavours to his slushie. And as Keith always did, he rolled his eyes and took a long sip of his drink, smacking his lips purposefully loud when he stopped.

With half of the slushie left in the cup, Keith set it down in the cupholder and began the drive once again. They let a mix play on the radio to fill the silence between them.

Lance dozed off at one point, the heat having finally got to him. His chest rose and fell as he breathed softly, so quiet it was as if he wasn’t even there. Keith tried not to stare to keep from ending up in a hospital, but it was rare for a moment to present itself where he could watch Lance closely without getting caught.

Clenching the wheel a bit more tightly, he willed himself to channel all of his focus on the road and the cars around him. 

The train station came into view not long after. Keith relaxed at the sight, thankful to have made it in one piece and with both him and Lance still in the car untouched. Pulling into an empty parking space near the very back, he shot off a text to Pidge letting her know they'd arrived before pocketing his phone.

Keith turned to Lance and reached out a hand to shake him awake. Lance grumbled in annoyance at the disruption. 

“Lance.” Keith shook him again. “Come on, get up.”

Lance mumbled something, his words incoherent, but his eyes opened nonetheless. He stretched, wincing when he banged his hands against the roof of the car and his elbow against the window. 

“Next time,” Lance said, rubbing his elbow. “We’re taking my car.”

“You’re delusional if you think there’s gonna be a next time,” Keith retorted.

Lance angrily grabbed his slushie and took a long sip, his eyes never leaving Keith’s. The sound of Lance slurping up his drink got louder and louder until Keith couldn’t take it anymore. 

“Lance, you’re gonna get a brain freeze.”

As if on cue, Lance let the straw fall from his mouth and brought a hand up to his head. He squeezed his eyes shut and groaned in pain. Keith smirked, satisfied at the turn of events. 

His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out. Pidge’s name lit up the screen with a text notifying him that they had spotted Keith’s car and wanted to know what he had done to Lance.

Keith snorted and pushed open the door. He walked around the car and spotted Pidge and Hunk a few cars away. Hunk was laughing at something Pidge had said, the sound of laughter travelling to Keith’s own ears and warming his heart. 

Maybe he had missed his friends more than he let on.

Upon seeing Keith, Pidge dropped her bags and hurried up to him, curiosity etched into her features. Keith had to crane his neck to look down at her as she gazed up expectantly at him.

“So?” she said. “Did you finally knock him out?”

Keith barked a laugh at the question and shook his head. “Nah, brain freeze.”

Pidge frowned in disappointment and made her way around to the passenger side of the car. She yanked the door open and peered inside at Lance. “Still too weak to handle a brain freeze, huh Lance?”

“Pidge!”

Lance scrambled out of the car and scooped his friend into a hug. She yelled at him to put her down which only made him squeeze tighter. The exchange brought a smile to Keith’s face. Seeing Lance happy was a sure fire way to make him happy.

A pat on the back brought him back to reality and he mustered up the most convincing smile he had for Hunk. It was hard to tell if Hunk or Pidge or any of their other friends knew that Keith had feelings for Lance and he wasn’t about to slip up now.

“I hope he didn’t give you too much trouble this semester,” Hunk said, his eyes warm and thoughtful as he struggled with his and Pidge’s bags.

Keith shook his head and reached for Pidge’s green and black bags. “Nothing I couldn’t handle.”

The two of them threw the bags into Keith’s trunk and slammed it shut with a thud that seemed to rattle the car. Keith cringed at the thought of all the work he had yet to get to to fix the car to what it once was.

Hunk seemed to notice because he tossed Keith a worried glance and asked, “Are we gonna make it home in this thing?”

“We made it here just fine,” Keith grumbled and folded himself back into the driver’s seat.

Hunk and Pidge did most of the talking on the way back. Keith didn’t mind; it distracted him from his thoughts and from the boy in the seat next to him—so close yet so far.

They went on and on about their last semester of school and how excited they were to be home until September came. Ideas spilled out of Lance’s mouth like coffee onto a crisp white shirt. He had an endless list of things he wanted to do before school started again. Their friends agreed to most of his suggestions with the exception of Pidge strongly recommending against skinny dipping.

A road marker indicated that they were about twenty minutes from home and Keith started to relax—air conditioning was almost within his grasp and Lance would be out of his car in no time.

And then Hunk cleared his throat and mentioned he had an idea and the car went silent.

“So, you guys know my family has that lake house up north right?” he said, each of them nodding in remembrance. “Well. . . I’ve been talking to them and they’re all gonna be super busy for the next little while and won’t have time to go up there for another month or so—”

Keith tightened his grip on the steering wheel, suddenly afraid of where this conversation was going.

“—And I thought it would be perfect since we all haven’t seen each other in way too long and what better timing, you know? I was thinking of getting the whole gang together and going up to the lake house and just have a nice vacation for a few weeks.”

Lance whipped around in his seat, a grin lighting up his face. “Hunk, buddy, you really are my saviour.”

Pidge’s head fell back against the seat, eyes drifting shut. “I can’t believe I’m about to agree to hanging out with Lance for longer than a day, but I think it might be cool. Plus my dad and Matt are still at that engineering conference and won’t be home for a while longer.”

Hunk smiled at the agreement while Lance pouted and swatted at Pidge who pulled up her legs to avoid his attack. Realizing there was only one person who hadn’t said anything yet, the three of them looked at Keith expectantly.

Keith felt himself shrink under their gazes and gulped. “I, uh, I don’t know if I should.”

“What?” Lance all but shrieked.

His outburst surprised Keith and the car swerved into the next lane over, earning them a few honks and death glares. Lance winced and muttered an apology as Keith straightened out the car and regained his composure.

“I was just planning on picking up some more shifts,” he lied, hoping it would sound believable. “You know how busy it gets this time of year.”

“Keith, the garage has like, less than ten employees? And it is almost always empty when I visit, so I don’t know who you’re trying to fool here—” 

“Do you really think no one works there?” Keith asked incredulously. 

Lance huffed in annoyance. “You know what I mean. Besides, I think Coran will be happy to not see you for a while. The poor guy is probably waiting for the day he gets a break from you.”

Keith rolled his eyes, but didn’t argue. Lance was right. He had seen Coran more in the past year than he had any of his other friends. It was kind of sad and embarrassing on Keith’s part, but he never really thought about it until now. He could use a break from work and Coran would be happy to see him finally take one. But going on vacation meant there was no avoiding Lance and he wasn’t sure his heart could handle it.

On the other hand, it also meant that he would get to spend a lot more time with him. Maybe he could finally get over his silly high school crush—get closure, or whatever. And even if he didn’t, it would give him one last time to hang around each other before Keith found a way to leave.

Keith noticed the look Pidge was giving him from the backseat and averted his eyes. If anything, this trip would help him keep his cover long enough to get out.

“Exactly!” Hunk exclaimed from the seat behind Keith’s. “You never give yourself a break, Keith. So why don’t you, ya know, give yourself one for once?”

The car made its exit off the highway and onto the main road; home was so close.

With a resounding sigh, Keith said, “Fine, I’ll go.”

His friends whooped with excitement and turned their focus to the finer details of the trip. Keith fell silent again, mentally smacking himself for giving in so easily. But at least now he had a plan.

He’d go on vacation with friends for one last hurrah and then he would work out his escape from his ever changing life.

God, he hoped he wouldn’t regret this.

—————

The following Friday, Keith was slumped over a mug of piping black coffee at about eight in the morning. There were most definitely bags under his indigo eyes; evidence of a restless night. He didn’t usually have problems sleeping, but last night his mind had been bombarded with images and thoughts of one freckled-face boy. As if it wasn’t enough that he was going to spend the next who knows how long with Lance, but now he was invading Keith’s mind during the one time of day where he was able to make some form of escape.

Shiro noticed how tired Keith was; he hadn’t said a word to him when he entered the kitchen to make breakfast. He kept to watching over the eggs on the stove while sparing not-so-secret glances at Keith.

Keith hardly noticed when Shiro placed a plate in front of him, only looking up at the sound of a chair scraping across tile. Scrambled eggs and three strips of crisp, juicy bacon stared up at him, but he didn’t budge.

“Keith.”

Shiro’s parental tone yanked Keith back to reality. His eyes snapped up to Shiro’s, mumbling an incoherent, “Huh?” in response.

“I don’t know much sleep you got last night, but you can at least eat something before you leave.” Shiro points his fork at the plate in front of Keith before scooping some eggs off his own plate and shovelling them into his mouth.

“I know, but. . .” He wasn’t sure what to say exactly. Shiro was the closest he’d ever had to a brother and he almost always felt safe confiding in him. This time felt different though. What if Shiro didn’t have a magic solution that Keith was so desperately looking for? “Not that hungry I guess.”

Shiro raised a brow at that and said, “Is this about Lance?”

Suddenly, Keith was quite hungry.

“What about Lance?” he coughed.

“Well,” Shiro started. “You managed to find a million ways to avoid him during the school year and now you’re hanging out regularly again? That’s probably not easy.”

Keith wolfed down his eggs, prolonging his response as much as possible. But Shiro waited patiently, continuing with his breakfast as if he hadn’t said anything in the first place. 

“We’re friends,” Keith said slowly, the word squeezing his heart. “Why is it so weird to be hanging out more?”

There was no way he knew. It was impossible. Keith had barely mentioned Lance to Shiro in the last months—maybe even the last year. How could he possibly piece everything together and if he did, why had he not said anything?

Shiro sat back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. He gave Keith a warm smile before continuing. “Keith I’ve known you most of your life,” he stated matter-of-factly. “Did you really think I wouldn’t realize that you’re in love with Lance?”

Had Keith been drinking his coffee, he would have spewed it all over Shiro. He dropped his gaze to the last strip of bacon on his plate which didn’t seem too appetizing now.

So. . . Shiro knew. And he knew for a while at that. 

“I’m—I’m not. . .” he grasped for the right words. “I’m not in love with Lance.”

“Yeah, and I bet he also wasn’t the reason you didn’t get much sleep last night.”

Keith’s face flushed, probably bright red, and he stood abruptly from the table, mumbling about how he’d get the dishes. He nearly dropped both plates on the way from the table to the sink. Keith dumped them in the sink, the sound of the plates clattering together filling the room. He forced himself to focus on cleaning the dishes and putting them in the dishwasher. Then, he walked back to his room to finish packing everything into his one suitcase.

Lance was going to be there soon and he needed to get himself together before then. He didn’t want to raise any suspicion or be interviewed by Lance the whole ride to the lake house.

There was a knock at the door and Keith whirled around, clutching a sweater to his chest. A sweater Lance had gotten him for his birthday two years ago.

Shiro leaned against the doorframe, asking a silent question. Keith nodded and returned to packing the sweater into his suitcase and zipping it up. The silence was deafening, but Keith refused to be the first to speak.

Thankfully he didn’t have to.

“I didn’t mean to spring that on you, I’m sorry,” Shiro said, pronouncing each word perfectly as if he was hand picking each of them. “But I have been wanting to talk to you about it. I’ve known Lance as long as you’ve known him and I know that doesn’t mean I know him better or as much as you do, but I’d like to think I know him enough to say he’d never reject you.”

Keith blinked in confusion. He processed all of what Shiro said and tilted his head in questioning. “Do you think I’m going to confess to him?”

Now it was Shiro’s turn to look confused. “Were you not planning to? I thought this trip was gonna be some big moment where you guys finally get together.”

Keith shook his head. “No. . . Wait. What do you mean finally?”

“Oh, come on, Keith. Everyone’s been waiting.”

“What are you talking about?”

Did all of Keith’s friends know more about his feelings than he did? Did they know more about the situation than they let on? And oh my god, did Hunk and Pidge know?

Shiro walked over to where Keith was and sat on the bed. Keith slowly sat down next to him, letting Shiro’s words sink in. His head was spinning with unanswered questions, each one more urgent than the last. He turned to Shiro, waiting for an explanation.

“Okay, wow, I just keep scaring you. Sorry,” Shiro said. “I don’t mean we’ve all sat down and talked about you two. I mean, Allura and I have, but I don’t know if Hunk and Pidge are on the same boat, I’ve just assumed they are.”

What the hell, was all Keith could think. All other words have left his vocabulary box and he was left completely and utterly speechless. The first thing he wondered was if he made his feelings for Lance obvious. But there was no way he could have. He didn’t see Hunk or Pidge as often as he used to, and he only saw Allura maybe a few times a week and hardly ever around Lance. Lance had become somewhat of a taboo topic at home. The less he thought of him or talked about him, the less painful the ache in his chest was.

And in the event that his friends did in fact know, how obvious was it to Lance?

What in the hell was he doing going on this trip?

“Do you think Lance knows?” is what Keith settled on.

Shiro chuckled and put a hand on Keith’s shoulder. “That boy wouldn’t know if you walked up and told him to his face.” The worry weighing Keith down lifted at that. “Don’t worry, Keith. Your secret is still yours. And don’t feel pressured to tell Lance because of me or Allura or Lance or anyone, alright?”

Keith nodded and let Shiro pull him into a comforting hug.

As if on cue, there was a loud knock at the front door. Keith jumped up and raced out of the room, ignoring Shiro’s teasing comments and laughter. He yanked open the door to reveal a smiling Lance. It wasn’t surprising to Keith that he looked good, but he still took his breath away. His khaki shorts fit him just right and his blue tee was loose on his frame and had been tugged down ever so slightly, revealing the tanned skin of Lance’s collarbone.

“Hey, Keith.”

Oh, he was so screwed.

Keith smiled back and moved to the side so Lance could come in. “Hey, Lance.”

Shiro emerged from Keith’s rooms with his luggage. Keith thanked him as he tugged on his shoes. Lance and Shiro chatted amongst themselves, asking about each other’s families, work and school, life—all that jazz.

“You’re gonna come up at some point right?”

Shiro sighed and nodded, causing Lance to whoop loudly. “I’ll come up in about two weeks with Allura. We have some more stuff to get done around work first.”

Two whole weeks without Shiro there to help Keith with the Lance situation. Then again, he’s gone this long without confiding in him. He could hold out a while longer.

“I thought we were just doing a small group,” Keith said. “How big exactly is this house?”

Lance put his hands on his hips and frowned. “Someone hasn’t been paying attention. And haven’t you been to the house before? Remember that summer we went up for my birthday?”

“Yeah, but we were out the whole time and I never ended up seeing the house. Plus I think you got me drunk so I barely remember the whole thing.”

That wasn’t entirely true. Keith remembered the day so clearly, it was as if it had just happened yesterday. 

He remembered so well because he almost kissed Lance that night on the deck.

Hunk wanted to plan something special for Lance’s birthday and decided on bringing everyone up to his family’s lake house for the day. They kidnapped Lance—with his mother’s permission of course—and let him choose all the activities for the day. Not surprising, Pidge had managed to sneak some beers up with them and they spent the night on the back deck, drinking and laughing away. 

When Hunk and Pidge trudged off to bed, Keith and Lance had stayed out under the stars, laying so close together that Keith could swear he stopped breathing. The little bit of alcohol hadn’t helped the fluttering feeling in his stomach, only encouraging him to do something stupid.

Thankfully, his senses kicked in before he could make a regretful decision and the two of them ended up falling asleep outside that night. When they left the next morning, Keith had simply walked around the side of the house to the car and plopped down in the backseat, passing out within minutes.

“I’ve seen you drunk, Keith.” Lance crossed his arms across his chest. “You’re super honest—a bit too much if you ask me—and you don’t hold anything back. And on my birthday, you were the quietest you’ve ever been.”

Deciding this was a road he did not want to go down, especially now and in front of Shiro, Keith grabbed his bag and walked out the door. 

“See you in a few weeks, Shiro,” he called out as he walked down the hall.

He could hear Lance say something to Shiro before dashing out the door to catch up with Keith. They walked side by side and resumed their usual bickering. When they reached Lance’s car—he had insisted on not letting Keith drive his “hell on wheels”—Lance popped open the trunk for Keith to put his luggage inside. Lance rounded the car to the driver’s side and they slipped into the vehicle.

“I know this isn’t something you’re used to,” Lance said. “But my car has this thing called air conditioning so that we don’t die of heatstroke in the middle of—”

“Ha ha, very funny. Are you gonna drive now or are you just gonna make me sit and listen to you talk?”

Lance started the car and smiled a Cheshire cat smile. “Lucky for you, I can do both.”

The lake house was only about an hour and a half drive away and since they had a proper cooling system this time, it would probably go by much faster than their trip to the train station a week prior.

As an hour passed them by, buildings disappeared completely and houses became scarce. There was a long stretch of road that wound through a forest, signalling that their destination was not much farther. The coniferous trees of the forest loomed over the car on either side, so thick that it was nearly impossible to see anything beyond the first few lines of trees. After another ten minutes of driving, a sign marked their destination outside Keith’s window, and soon enough, the trees gave way to a small town.

Most of the buildings were old and declared heritage sites, but some less important ones had been torn down and upgraded to portray a more modern look while still looking like it belonged in the town. 

The town stretched on for a maximum of five minutes before once again giving way to a separate section. The residential area was quiet and filled with small houses, the exception being some vacation houses here and there. It wasn’t long before Lance pulled the car into the driveway of the lake house.

The red bricked house stood proudly between the trees, not reaching as tall, but almost. There were four white chairs lined up on the porch and vibrant flowers decorated the trellis. The green roof accentuated the colour of the house and if it weren’t for the forest around them, Keith would have thought it looked like a country home.

“Gorgeous, right?” Lance piped up from behind him, grunting as he lifted their luggage out of the trunk.

“Yeah,” Keith agreed. “I mean, I know I’ve seen it once, but I guess it’s different when you’re not half asleep at seven in the morning.”

A shriek sounded out from behind Keith and he whirled around to find Lance on the ground, his suitcase smothering him. “A little help?”

Keith snickered at the sight and stood back and watched for a minute. Lance uttered a string of curse words that would have definitely earned him a slap or two from his mom. Keith walked over to his friend and lifted the bag off of his lean form and stretched out a hand. 

“Sure, laugh at me and then help me,” Lance grumbled as he took Keith’s hand.

Keith tried to ignore the tingling feeling he felt when Lance let go.

They dragged their luggage up the driveway, gravel crunching underneath their shoes. When they finally managed to lift their surprisingly heavy bags onto the porch, Lance lifted a fist to knock. Instead, the door swung open to reveal a smiling Hunk, already dressed for the sun with shorts, a tank, and flip flops.

“Finally!” he exclaimed. “I was worried Lance drove into a ditch or something.”

“Why am I always pegged as the bad driver? Have you seen Keith’s car?” Lance said, exasperated. 

Hunk rolled his eyes and ushered them into the house. “Come on, I’ll show you your room.”

He led them down a hallway off to their right. They passed two doors before stopping in front of the third one at the end of the hall. Hunk opened the door, said “Ta da!” and gestured an arm at the room. In the corner of the room was a double bed with a red comforter and about a million pillows arranged on top. The walls were a light grey and there was a dresser pushed up against the wall opposite to the bed. It was as simple as it could get.

“So, mine or his?” Lance asked.

“Hmm?” Hunk looked between Keith and Lance, realizing that they were waiting on him. “Oh, sorry I should’ve been more clear. You’re sharing this room.”

“What?” Keith balked.

“Why?” Lance added, voice rising an octave.

Hunk put a hand on Lance’s shoulder and looked him in the eye. “Because there are only four rooms and we have to share.”

Keith did the math and raised a brow. “But there are only four of us here right now.”

“Shay’s coming later tonight so we’re gonna share a room. Pidge gets her own room, you two share, and Shiro and Allura take the fourth room.”

“Okay. . . but Shiro and Allura aren’t coming for another two weeks. Can’t one of us take that room until then?” Lance suggested.

Hunk pretended to think about it for a few seconds before smiling and going with, “No. Now stop whining and meet us on the deck in ten.”

Keith and Lance watched helplessly as Hunk made his way back down the hall, whistling as he went. Keith sighed and placed his suitcase on the floor next to the bed. Unpacking would distract him from the thought of sleeping next to Lance, it had to.

Lance did the same and neither one of them said a word about the situation. They maneuvered around each other whenever they went to put their clothes in the dresser, still not making a single sound—a contrast from their playful arguing.

Part of Keith was happy that he would be sharing a bed with Lance during their stay here. It allowed him to watch Lance without getting caught in the act and maybe it would give him some kind of closure on his feelings. On the other hand, he wasn’t sure he could handle the idea of Lance being inches away from him every night, so close that all he would have to do is reach out and touch. It would be torture for Keith, but maybe he deserved it. He had stayed close to home to be near Lance and now he had agreed to come on this trip. He couldn’t blame anyone but himself.

And maybe the universe for playing games.

“It’s no big deal,” he started, barely registering the words coming out of his mouth. “We’ve been friends for a while and we’ve had sleepovers before.”

Lance nodded. “Yeah, just like a sleepover.”

“Right.”

“Right.”

Keith cringed at the sudden awkwardness between them and quickly put away his last few shirts, desperate to get out of the room. He muttered to Lance that he was going outside and dashed out the door. He breathed a sigh of relief the second he wasn’t next to Lance and tried to steady his racing heartbeat.

Outside, Hunk was suntanning on the deck while Pidge typed away on her computer. 

Of course she had to bring it.

“Hey, guys.”

Keith mindlessly grabbed a can of pop from the cooler and took a seat next to Pidge. He sneaked a look at the screen of her computer and frowned at the jumble of letters and numbers. “What on earth are you doing?”

“Programming,” was her only explanation.

The sliding door swooshed open and Lance appeared. He’d traded in his shorts for swim trunks, aviators perched atop his head, nestled in his fluffy hair.

Hunk sat up and patted the spot next to him. Lance took a seat and leaned back on the palms of his hands.

“Great, now that we’re all here, here’s the plan—”

“You already have something planned?” Keith tilted his head. He had only been here for a total of twenty minutes.

“Yeah, while you two took your sweet time getting here,” Pidge commented and lifted a hand to high five Hunk.

“Anyway. We’ll probably just hang around the house today. I’ll cook us some lunch soon and then we can go out for dinner tonight and hang around town. Cool?”

Everyone nodded and chipped in their agreeances to the plan.

Keith would probably stick to video games and exploring the woods around the house—anything to avoid spending too much time alone with Lance.

“Perfect. So what are you guys feeling for lunch?”

—————

The day went by rather quickly. 

Hunk cooked up some pasta and grilled veggies for lunch as requested by Lance. It was delicious and every plate was licked clean within minutes. Pidge continued with whatever she was working on, Keith disappeared into the woods, and Hunk and Lance hung out on the deck under the hot summer sun.

Sometime after six, the four of them found their way to their rooms and changed into evening/dinner attire. They ended up going to a local diner that they visited the last time they were in town. Burgers, fries, and shakes were the obvious choice and no one disagreed.

After dinner, the group walked around town, taking in all the sights available. They ran into Rolo, one of the locals whom Hunk and Lance met last year on a grocery run. He told them about a party the college kids were hosting out by the campgrounds and invited them along. With nothing else planned for the night, they agreed to go and let Rolo lead the way. Hunk texted Shay the details for when she arrived. She responded a few minutes later, letting him know that she would be there within half an hour and thought the party sounded fun.

Keith and Pidge trailed behind, talking about how they didn’t actually want to go to the party, no doubt. Lance didn’t understand why Keith wasn’t into it. He was the one who usually encouraged Lance to go to parties and have fun.

Lance heard the music minutes before he saw the group of people. It was probably louder than what was legal, but when he mentioned it to Rolo, he just shrugged it off and told him not to worry. It did little to reassure him about getting caught for underage drinking, but hey, it was summer, why not live a little recklessly?

Rolo stuck around with the group for a total of one minute before disappearing to some other area of the campgrounds. Hunk passed a couple beers around and they all took a sip. Lance grimaced at the taste. He’d drank beer before, but he only really ever liked the stuff Keith gave him.

“I can’t believe I agreed to this,” Pidge shouted over the music. 

“It’ll be fun!” Hunk promised, but he and Lance both knew Pidge would probably find a way home before the hour was up.

Keith looked around nervously. He seemed uncomfortable in the presence of so many unfamiliar people, but Lance knew him well enough to know that he wouldn’t say anything. Lance threw an arm around Keith's shoulders and felt him tense beneath him. “We don’t have to stay long,” he whispered and Keith instantly relaxed.

Shay showed up a half hour later as she said she would and embraced Hunk in a giant hug. She waved hello to Lance and the others, kind as always.

“Do you guys wanna dance?” she asked.

Lance chugged the last of his beer and tossed it aside. “Hell yeah!”

He and Shay joined the dancing crowd, Hunk following close behind. The crowd swallowed them up almost instantly and they fell into a familiar groove. Lance let himself get lost in the music, embracing the warm, bubbly feeling he felt as the alcohol spread through his veins and the song picked up the pace.

He shifted his body and startled at the sight of a girl dancing a few feet away. She had straight blonde hair that fell to her hips and swayed with her as she danced. Her tight black dress clung to her figure, enhancing the dips and curves of her body. She was gorgeous, Lance thought. He needed to talk to her.

As if sensing his gaze, the girl lifted her eyes to meet Lance’s and smiled. She held eye contact with him as she danced closer. In seconds, she was in front of him, hand on his chest. He moved with her to the rhythm and tried not to freak out.

“You’re not very subtle, are you?” she purred, pressing her back against Lance’s chest.

Lance’s hands found her hips and—thankfully—his voice. “Is that a bad thing?”

She hummed in thought. “I guess not. Not when you look the way you do.”

The compliment slapped Lance in the face. It was as if it had awoken something in him that he didn’t know was there before.

Confidence, he thought.

“I don’t think I could be subtle watching you dance if I tried,” he said. “Your body speaks for you.”

The girl giggled and turned in his arms. She looped her arms around his neck and pressed impossibly closer. “I’m Nyma.”

“Lance.”

“Well. . . Lance,” Nyma whispered. “There’s something I’d like to show you.” She reached up and pressed a hot, quick kiss to Lance’s lips. As he started to lean in, she pulled back, out of reach. “Do you wanna see?”

“Yes,” he breathed, not even bothering trying to hide the desperation in his voice.

Excitement flashed in Nyma’s eyes and she led him out and away from the crowd.

—————

“Alright, I’m heading back. You coming or do you wanna stay with these drunk toddlers?”

Keith looked at Pidge and back out at the crowd. He’d lost sight of Lance a while ago when he made his way deeper into the crowd. Keith scanned the area, looking for him, but couldn’t see him anywhere. He decided he’d just send him a text so he wouldn’t worry when he realized Keith was not where he left him.

“Yeah, just give me a second,” he said as he typed out a message. He was reading it over and about to send it when he heard someone call his name. He looked up at a flushed and breathless Lance. “Lance? What are you doing?”

“Holy shit dude, you’re not gonna believe what just happened.” Lance ran a hand through his dishevelled hair, eyes impossibly wide.

“What is it?”

Lance opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a girl in a short black dress. She sidled up next to Lance, draping herself against him like an accessory. “Who’s your friend?” she looked Keith up and down with a blank stare.

“This is Keith. Keith, this is Nyma.” Lance smiled nervously, clearly not having expected his new fling to make an appearance.

Nyma’s smile widened, but Keith could tell it wasn’t sincere. He had a bad feeling about her, he just couldn’t place it.

“Lance, come dance with me. It’s so cold and you’re so warm. . .” she batted her lashes at him and played with the strands of his hair.

“Sure, I just have to talk to Keith real quick.”

Keith shook his head, already looking away. “It’s cool, just tell me whatever you wanted to tell me when you get home. I’ll probably be up.”

Lance frowned. “You’re leaving? I can come with you, if you want.”

Keith’s heart constricted in his chest and he did his best to hide the pain he was feeling. “No, you stay. I’m going with Pidge. Just make sure you don’t lose Hunk and Shay.”

Before Lance could protest, Keith turned on his heel and walked away. He found Pidge standing away from the crowd and nodded to her. They walked together in silence the whole way back to the lake house.

The image of Nyma clinging to Lance like a leech, touching him like she’d known him forever, was burned into Keith’s mind. He wasn’t an idiot. He could guess what Lance was about to tell him right before Nyma waltzed in and stole the show. He didn’t want to think about whatever they had done together at the party, he just wanted to distract himself.

It was still fairly early by the time Keith and Pidge got back to the house, so they decided to watch a zombie movie before bed. They changed into pyjamas and huddled under blankets on the living room couch. Keith offered to make some popcorn as Pidge set up the movie and she agreed. A movie and comfort food was everything Keith needed right now.

When the credits rolled two hours later, Hunk, Shay, and Lance were still nowhere to be seen. Pidge made some coffee for her and Keith and they sat on the couch, sipping the hot beverage while the TV played on low volume. Eventually, Pidge grew bored and announced that she was going to her room and bid goodnight to Keith. He watched as she climbed the stairs to her room and heard the door shut softly from where he still sat in the living room.

Keith knew that he should probably head to bed as well, but he wanted to make sure his friends got home safely. And maybe he also hoped that Lance wouldn’t be spending the night with Nyma.

Minutes ticked by and midnight arrived, still with no sign of the others. Keith’s phone buzzed next to him and he rushed to pick it up. It was a text from Hunk, telling him that he would be home in the next ten or so minutes. There was no mention of Lance and no text from him, for that matter. Where was he? Was he with Hunk? Was Keith just overthinking this whole thing?

He sprawled himself out on the couch and decided to wait up for his friends, just to be sure. As promised, the door opened fifteen minutes later and hushed voices could be heard from the entryway. Keith lifted his head to give himself a better view of whoever entered. 

“Oh, hey Keith. You’re still up?” Hunk’s voice was quiet and soft.

“Mhm. Waited for you guys.” he spotted Shay coming up behind Hunk, but no one else. “Where’s Lance?”

“Probably with Nyma,” Shay said.

Hunk hummed in agreement, nodding. “Those two could not keep their hands off each other.”

Keith’s stomach dropped and he tried to not look disappointed. “Oh. So is he not coming back tonight?”

Hunk gave Keith a sympathetic smile and grabbed the empty coffee mug from the table. “I wouldn’t wait up for him.”

That was all he needed to say to confirm his worst thoughts. Lance would be spending the night with Nyma. He’d come back in the morning, hair messy and clothes rumpled, smelling like her cheap perfume. He’d probably go to Keith first and catch him up on the events of the previous night. And because Keith wouldn’t want to upset Lance or give him the wrong idea, he’d listen to every detail, even if it made him dizzy and feel like puking.

Shay tugged at Hunk’s hand and they walked out of the living room. Keith called out a halfhearted “goodnight” to them which they returned as they made a pit stop in the kitchen and then made their way up to their shared room.

Keith was supposed to share a room, too.

But Lance seemed to have other plans.

As though to torture himself further, Keith trudged into the kitchen and poured himself whatever coffee was left in the pot. He finished it in a few big gulps and placed the mug in the sink. Coffee stopped having much of an effect on him two years ago when his dad died. He was so desperate to feel something that he turned to coffee to give him even a bit of an adrenaline rush. It only made him feel worse and the feeling went numb after a year.

He hoped it would keep him awake now, long enough for Lance to walk through the door and tell him that he chose not to sleep with Nyma tonight, that he wanted to be here.

But he didn’t show.

At half past one, Keith finally gave up and walked to his room at the end of the hall. He shut the door, climbed into bed, and pulled the covers up to his chin. He stared at the empty space next to him until his eyes grew too heavy to keep open, and he fell asleep.

—————

The sun had just risen when an overwhelming feeling of heat pulled Keith from his deep sleep. He groaned in discomfort and kicked off the sheets that smothered him. When that relieved only a tiny bit of the feeling, Keith was annoyed. It was way too early to not be able to sleep and he wasn’t ready for his thoughts to start up again. His eyes peeled open slowly and widened when he realized that something or someone was curled up next to him.

Keith sucked in a breath as he recognized Lance’s tan skin and wild hair. He was pressed up right against Keith, his arm draped across Keith’s stomach, head nestled into the crook of his neck, breathing against Keith’s now burning hot skin.

“Lance?” he whispered because he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Lance grumbled something incoherent and moved closer to Keith. It took all his willpower for Keith not to wrap his arms around him and cuddle hold him until he fell asleep again.

“Lance, move, you’re in my space.”

“‘M tired. Leave me alone,” Lance mumbled.

“Why didn’t you come home last night?”

“Hm?”

Keith sighed and tried to push Lance off, but he wouldn’t budge. “I was waiting for you. You didn’t come back.”

A sleepy smile bloomed on Lance’s face as he said, “Was having fun. . . Lots of fun.”

“Gross, Lance, I don’t wanna hear it.”

“I think I might be in love.”

“That’s. . .” Keith searched for the right words. “That’s not love, Lance.”

For a while, Lance said nothing and Keith thought he might have fallen asleep again. His breathing evened out and the world was still once again. Keith was about to admit defeat and try to sleep with Lance clinging to him like a sloth when Lance spoke.

“Came back because of you.”

Keith’s heart stuttered in his chest. “W-What?”

“Knew you would be worried if I didn’t show,” he explained. “I came home for you.”

After that, Lance fell asleep again, for real this time. Keith, however, was now wide awake, Lance’s words playing on an endless loop in his mind.

I came home for you.

—————

After that first night in town, Keith and Pidge make everyone promise to let at least one person know where they were if they ever split up. Lance knew it was probably mostly Keith’s idea after Lance pulled his little disappearing act with Nyma, but he said nothing more about it.

Instead of telling Keith everything that happened between her and him that night like he had planned to, he gave him a quick summary and left out most of the details. He figured Keith was probably annoyed that Lance had kept him up worrying, all because a girl had shown interest in him. He wasn’t sure, but he thought Keith seemed relieved when Lance left out, well, everything.

He offered to make it up to him by spending the day together. Keith declined at first, but Lance persisted and forced him into a Mario Kart tournament. The others joined in one by one and they spent hours racing and yelling not-so-nice words when they were hit by a blue shell.

On a particularly sunny and hot day, Lance suggested they spend the entire day swimming in the lake behind the house. He had to do a little convincing, but ultimately they agreed because this was what they signed up for. Hunk and Shay prepared a barbecue lunch for everyone just after noon and they laughed over old memories and bad jokes.

A week went by since they had arrived at the lake house and Lance’s phone went off next to him. Pidge and Keith shot him a glare for interrupting whatever crime show was playing now and he muttered an apology as he grabbed his phone. 

Nyma had finally texted him back and wanted to hang out.

Score.

He tried to think up something they could do, but being unfamiliar with the town, he had few options. He had also promised his friends he would stay in with them tonight for a TV marathon. Lance doubted Nyma would want in, but he texted her back anyway.

She replied two minutes later asking for the address and Lance couldn’t believe his luck. He quickly sent it to her and turned to his friends. “So. . . I may or may not have invited Nyma over. Cool? Thanks.”

The voices on the TV went silent and Lance looked up in confusion. Keith was holding the remote and looking at him like he was crazy. Pidge intensified her previous death glare and Lance thought he might die tonight.

“What do you mean you invited her over?” Keith asked from the other end of the couch.

“She texted me and I promised you guys I wouldn’t run off anywhere, so I told her that and she asked to come over,” Lance said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Is that bad? Am I being too forward?”

Pidge smacked Lance in the back of the head. “What happened to this being a one time thing?”

“I never said it was a one time thing.” Lance rubbed his head, shooting daggers at Pidge.

“So, what? You’re gonna date her now?” Keith interrupted.

“I don’t know!” Lance threw his hands up, exasperated. “Look, she’s hot and into me, and I’m into her.” Pidge gagged and Lance rolled his eyes. “I gotta have some fun while we’re here y’know?”

“You know she’s using you, right?”

Lance stood up from the couch, annoyed with his friends’ reactions. “Why do you guys care so much? Shouldn’t you be supporting me? This is the first girl I’ve gotten with since Madelyn.”

He immediately fell quiet, realizing that what he said was a mistake and was going too far. Keith dropped his gaze to the floor and pressed his lips together. 

“Keith, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”

“It’s fine, Lance,” Keith muttered, standing up now. “I support you. Just don’t take her to our room.”

Keith stalked off before Lance could say another word and he felt his shoulders droop. God, how could he have been so careless with his words?

Pidge got up too and walked over to Lance. “He’ll be fine, just. . . leave him be for a bit.” She sighed and patted Lance’s arm. “I’ll go let Hunk and Shay know that Nyma’s coming over.”

Lance sat back down on the couch and stared at the muted TV. He picked up the remote and switched it off. Staring at his reflection in the screen, he frowned at the sight of himself. He had unintentionally hurt one of his best friends all because he was defensive about some girl he barely knew.

What an idiot.

—————

Nyma wouldn’t leave.

After leaving Lance in the living room, Keith locked himself in their shared room for two hours. Nyma arrived at some point while he was in there, but he couldn’t bring himself to join everyone out in the living room. He hoped Nyma would lose interest soon after she got here and bail, but that wasn’t the case. Keith could hear her laughter echoing down the hall. She was actually enjoying herself. And Keith was cooped up in a small room, mentally punching himself for being in love with his best friend.

So much for a TV marathon.

There was a knock at the door and Hunk’s voice. He let Keith know that he made some dinner if he wanted and retreated back down the hall. Keith sighed in defeat. He was hungry and he didn’t want to let Nyma keep him from one of Hunk’s home cooked meals. 

Reluctantly, he let himself out of the room and made his way into the dining room. Everyone was sat around the table, talking animatedly to each other. He took the seat across from Nyma—which of course was the only empty seat. His friends offered a greeting which he returned. Lance looked at him with sad eyes for a moment before looking away. Nyma, however, was suddenly very interested in Keith.

“Oh, hi. Keith, right? I didn’t realize you were here.” she flicked a strand of golden hair over her shoulder and smiled sweetly at him.

“Mhm,” he replied. “I was just in my room. Wasn’t feeling well, but I couldn’t miss out on one of Hunk’s dinners.”

Lance nodded eagerly. “He’s right. You’re gonna love it. Nothing will taste the same once you’ve tried Hunk’s cooking.”

Nyma hummed in thought. “Then I guess I’ll just have to come over more.”

Keith tried not to roll his eyes at her. She was clearly trying to get a rise out of him; she’d obviously figured out Keith wasn’t a fan of her.

“Well, you can definitely take some leftovers with you, though I’m not sure there will be much left over,” Hunk said, carrying out dishes of hot, mouth watering food. Shay was close behind with the rest, carefully setting everything down on the table and making sure it was all spread out.

It didn’t take long for everyone to dig in. They chatted in between bites about summer plans and reminisced about their high school days. Since Nyma wasn’t familiar with the group, she was given the short version of every story and contributed with her own stories. Keith didn’t pay attention when she talked. It was better if he pretended she wasn’t there.

After dinner, they moved over to the living room. They pushed the coffee table out of the way to make room for some of them to sit. Hunk, Shay, and Pidge took the couch, leaving Keith stuck on the floor with Lance and Nyma. They passed around beers that Pidge found in the back of the fridge—probably left behind by Hunk’s family—and let themself let loose. Keith was wary about drinking too much, knowing that Lance was right about him being brutally honest and open when he got drunk.

“We should play a game,” Nyma suggested after polishing off her second beer.

“Oh, please, no,” Hunk begged. “Lance and Pidge always end up doing something stupid.”

Nyma giggled. “All the more reason to do it, then.”

Lance slung an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him. He had a loopy smile on his face, a telltale sign that he was drunk or would be soon. “What game? If it’s truth or dare, I’m out.”

Pidge coughed into her fist. “Coward.”

“How about. . . Paranoia?” Nyma glanced around the room, keeping her eyes on Keith a second longer than she did anyone else.

“How do you play?” Shay shifted on the couch, crossing her legs underneath her.

“Simple. Someone asks someone else a question like ‘who is the most attractive person here?’ Then, that person says the name out loud to the group without anyone else knowing what the question was. If the person named wants to know what the question was, they drink.”

Everyone nodded to indicate that they knew the rules. Nyma offered to start them off and whispered something into Lance’s ear. Lance didn’t even hesitate to respond. “Pidge, for sure.”

Above Keith, Pidge groaned and took a sip from her can. “Alright, what was the question?”

“I asked who was most likely to kill someone,” Nyma said flatly.

Pidge shrugged. “Not worth the drink, but very true.”

The game continued like this for a while. Some questions were innocent and some were a bit more. . . adventurous. For the most part, they drank because curiosity was a lot stronger than some drunken fools. When Keith’s name was called the first time, he didn’t drink. Maybe he wanted to prove something to Nyma. That he didn’t cave easily. The second time, though, he drank.

Nearly all of them were drunk now, save for Keith and Nyma. It was like an unspoken war had been waged between them and no one else seemed to realize.

Shay frowned when Lance crawled across the carpet to whisper a question into her ear. She pursed her lips and decided on, “Nyma.”

Nyma remained still, not at all fazed by her name being brought up. Keith expected her to take a drink; the paranoia had to be a bit too much now.

But still, she didn’t budge.

“Seriously?” Hunk hiccupped. “You’re not at all curious to know what the question was?”

Nyma shrugged, a coy smile lighting up her features. “And be as drunk as the rest of you?”

“That’s. . . fair.” Hunk scratched his head as if he wasn’t sure about his answer.

“Looks like it’s my turn,” Nyma mused. She turned her attention on Keith and he felt his stomach drop. She crawled over to his spot on the carpet and brought a hand up to muffle her question. “Who here do you love the most?”

Keith held his breath, too afraid to move, too afraid to speak. He knew Nyma asked such a personal question on purpose and he knew she was trying to make things weird between him and Lance. She knew what the answer would be; she just wanted Keith to be the one to admit it.

He considered lying and saying Pidge, but no one would believe him. Pidge would also almost definitely drink to find out what Keith had chosen her for, so that was out of the question. He knew he had to tell the truth, even though he knew Lance would never pass up the opportunity to learn any kind of secret.

Keith was sure Lance knew he loved him. They’d been friends since high school, good friends nonetheless. Would Lance think he meant other than a friendship kind of love?

His friends stared at him, waiting for an answer. Nyma had a smirk on her face. She knew she won this little war and she wanted Keith to know it.

Reluctantly, Keith admitted, “Lance.”

Lance perked up at the sound of his name. Excitement flashed across his face and he reached for his can of beer. Keith averted his eyes, not wanting to look at Lance when he heard the question. But luckily for Keith, no question came. Lance groaned, complaining that there was no more beer in his can and that he’d be right back with another. Keith jumped at the opportunity and waved his hands.

“Should you really have another beer? You’ve had like, what, three? I think you’re done for tonight.”

Lance frowned at him. “But I wanna know the question.”

Keith shrugged. “It was stupid, not worth the drink. Come on, you should get to bed.”

Keith ignored the strange looks Hunk and Pidge were sending him. He knew he was acting weird and would be questioned about it later, but right now he just needed to escape this trap Nyma had so gracefully set for him.

Nyma stood up abruptly, blocking Keith and Lance’s path. “The game’s still going and Lance wants to play. Why not stay for a few more minutes?”

“It’s getting late,” Keith said. “You should probably head home anyway.”

A stare down ensued between Keith and Nyma. She narrowed her eyes, clearly not used to not getting her way. But Keith didn’t care. He didn’t like her and he didn’t like what she was trying to pull. He wanted her gone, even if Lance would be mad at him later.

Finally, realizing that Keith wasn’t going to back down, Nyma huffed and looked away. “Fine.” She turned to Lance and brought up a hand to caress his cheek. “I’ll see you later, loverboy.”

Keith rolled his eyes at the nickname. He watched Nyma pick up her things, pull on her shoes, and sashay out the door. She didn’t look back once.

Good riddance.

Without uttering another word to his friends, Keith dragged Lance down the hall to their room, firmly pulling the door shut once they were inside. Lance looked at Keith with wide eyes, his lips slightly parted. It didn’t take much for Lance to get drunk and it was obvious that if he had had that fourth drink, he would probably have blacked out and the whole night would disappear from his memory.

“I’ll, um.” Keith faltered, not sure what to say. What was there to say? “I’ll go get you some water. You’re gonna need it.”

Lance opened his mouth to respond, but Keith was already slipping out the door and making his way back down the hall. Hunk and Pidge were still in the living room, now cleaning up from their little party. They glanced up when Keith walked by, but said nothing. It was probably better that way. Keith wouldn’t know how to explain his actions.

In the kitchen he grabbed a tall glass from the cupboard and filled it with water. Deciding that no one was nearly as drunk as Lance, he took the whole bottle of Advil and took it back to their room.

Lance had since changed into his pyjamas and was now curled up in bed, fast asleep. Keith watched as his chest lifted and fell, listened to his content sighs. He was so far gone for this boy, it was a miracle he hadn’t ran yet. How was he supposed to stay here in this room, this bed with Lance, knowing he could never have him? Was this just a glimpse of the rest of his life? Would he always be left to pine after Lance while he found someone else to fall in love with? It wasn’t fair. Keith had had so much taken away from him. Why couldn’t he just have Lance?

—————

For some reason unknown to Lance, Keith was avoiding him. Or at least that’s what it felt like. Ever since that night Nyma came over, Keith had been acting strange. He left the room when Lance entered, hid away in secret places for hours on end, and made up excuses whenever Lance wanted to hang out.

Did I do something wrong? was the only thought circling Lance’s mind. They had been perfectly fine before Nyma, so what changed? Nyma was certainly not the first girl that Lance had become infatuated with, so it couldn’t be her. Even when Keith wasn’t a huge fan of a girl Lance dated, he always supported him.

Was Keith jealous? Did he want to find someone like Lance found Nyma?

Lance considered searching the town for someone to hook Keith up with, but scrapped the idea. He would probably find the opposite of what Keith looked for in a guy and to make matters worse, Keith would probably be embarrassed and infuriated.

That was a no go.

Of course he could always just talk to Keith, but he wasn’t sure that would work this time. If Lance wasn’t allowed to know what was wrong, then Keith really didn’t want to talk about it. Keith would have to go to him when he was ready.

. . . But Lance could still try his way.

One morning, it was just Lance and Keith at breakfast. Hunk and Shay were having a date day, so they wouldn’t be back until later that night. Pidge was in town, searching for something to help her with whatever she’d been working on. Lance knew this might be his only opportunity to coax the truth out of Keith, so he made sure to catch him before he could run away.

Keith was at the island nursing a coffee and scrolling through his phone. He was too focused to notice that Lance had walked in which was probably a good thing, considering his recent behaviour.

Lance sat on the chair next to him and peered over to look at his phone. It looked like Keith was looking at condos, but he couldn’t tell.

“Whatcha doin’?” Lance asked, incredibly close to Keith.

Keith jumped in his seat and immediately shut off his phone. “Lance!” he shrieked. “Seriously? You gave me a heart attack.”

“Were you looking at condos?”

Keith’s face paled and he cleared his throat, looking away. “Uh, yeah,” he said. “Shiro was thinking of moving and I’m. . . helping him look.”

Lance frowned in confusion. “Didn’t Shiro just move, like, two years ago?”

Keith nodded hurriedly. “Yeah, but he’s super picky. Been complaining about so many things lately. Anyway, I gotta go—”

“Wait!” Lance winced at how loud he was and shrunk back a bit. Keith seemed caught off guard by the sudden rise in voice and looked at Lance warily.

“It’s just. . .” God, why was he so nervous now? He wanted to hang out with Keith, obviously, so why did he feel so weird asking? “I feel like the two of us never hang out anymore. And we have the whole place to ourselves so. . .”

Keith looked like he might pass out any second. His eyes were anywhere but on Lance and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Okay seriously, what was going on with him?

“Come on,” Lance pleaded, desperation creeping into his voice. “Please?”

Seconds inched by and for a terrible moment, Lance feared that Keith would refuse and walk away. He wasn’t sure why he wanted to be around Keith so badly, just that he did.

Finally, Keith sighed. “Okay,” he said. “I mean, yeah, we don’t hang out that much anymore and we. . . we should.”

“Great!” Lance exclaimed, smiling ear to ear. “I’ll go get ready! Meet you back here in thirty?”

—————

Keith should have said no.

The whole point of avoiding Lance was to keep him from breaking down and confessing his true feelings. He was already teetering on the edge, dangerously close to falling and he needed to take a few steps back. It killed him to be away from Lance, but it was for his own good.

Shiro was coming up this weekend and he just needed to hold on until then. Shiro was the only one who could possibly help him at this point. All he had to do was make it through one day of being around Lance, and then he could go back into hiding until Shiro and Allura arrived.

Now, here he was, watching Lance swim around a quarry, trying so desperately to ignore the swarm of butterflies in his stomach. Lance had barreled into the room, talking quickly about a quarry he found online. It was only a short drive by car and then about a ten minute walk into the woods after that. Keith had been hesitant about swimming, but there was no way he could say no to Lance.

But, holy hell, he wished he could. This was another kind of torture. Lance was half naked, floating on his back under the summer sun. He was a sight to behold with his smooth, tan skin and wisps of wet hair sticking to his face. Keith wanted nothing more than to dive in and scoop him up into his arms and kiss him with everything he had.

What he had was a growing problem. One that he needed to hide now.

Begrudgingly, Keith cannonballed into the quarry, sending water in every direction. Lance glared at him as he surfaced, wiping water off his face.

“Perfection doesn’t come easy, you know,” Lance quipped, gesturing to his face.

“You make it look easy,” was what Keith wanted to say. The words were right there on the tip of his tongue, ready to be let go. But he couldn’t. It would make things weird.

What he did say was more along the lines of, “You might wanna try harder then.”

Lance gasped dramatically and splashed water at Keith. “Asshole. You’re the one that needs work.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”

They bickered back and forth, slowly but surely returning to their normal selves. This was familiar to Keith; it was comfortable. But there was still something missing, and Keith feared that something always would be.

“Question,” Lance said after a minute of silence.

“Possible answer,” Keith replied.

They were both on their backs now, floating side by side. Keith was proud of himself for staying so calm and collected with Lance within touching distance.

“What did Nyma ask you during paranoia?”

Keith faltered. He hoped that Lance had forgotten about that part of the game. Considering it had been a few days since then and Lance hadn’t said anything, he was sure the memory had been erased. Unfortunately for Keith, that wasn’t the case.

“I told you,” Keith muttered, closing his eyes. “It was stupid.”

“If it was stupid why can’t you tell me?” Lance pushed.

“Because it doesn’t matter? I just don’t want to talk about it.”

“I won’t be offended if you said you’d kill me or something.” Lance laughed. “It’s just a game, I don’t care.”

But Lance would care. Keith knew he would. If he told Lance the truth, he’d never stop thinking about it. He’d let it get to his head and eventually he would put two and two together. Lance would understand everything Keith has done in the past year and nothing would be the same again. 

Lance sighed. “Okay, fine. You don’t wanna talk. But can you answer a different question for me?”

“I guess.” Keith didn’t have much left to lose. He could at least give Lance one answer.

“Will you ever tell me?”

Keith thought about it for a moment, mulling it over and considering his options. They were still so young, no telling what would happen in the next five, ten, fifty years. Maybe he’d tell him when they’re both forty and married with kids. They’d be hanging out in Lance’s basement, watching some random movie on the TV and, of course, drinking.

“Remember Nyma?” Lance would ask, dredging up old memories buried deep in their subconscious.

“Yes. Oh my god, she was the worst,” Keith would say, wrinkling his nose. “I can’t believe she’d ask me what she did.”

Lance would look over at Keith, his eyes glassy and a dopey smile on his face. “What did she ask you? You never told me.”

And in a drunken haze, filter almost completely gone, Keith would tell Lance, “She asked me who I loved the most.” He’d shake his head, not sparing a glance at his best friend. “Answer’s still the same today.”

It’d be strange for the remainder of that night. Lance would think nothing of it at first, but later wonder why Keith would love Lance the most over his husband or his kids. Why Lance? He was just a friend from high school.

Neither of them would remember it in the morning, thankfully, and they’d continue on with their lives like Keith hadn’t just confessed to being in love with Lance.

“Yes,” Keith said. “I will.” And he might. Maybe not in the way he imagined, but he could see the truth coming out one way or another. By then, though, it won’t matter. No harm will be done. Keith will have moved on and Lance will have found someone to spend the rest of his life with.

They stayed at the quarry a while longer until Lance complained that he was hungry. Throwing their shirts back on, they made the walk back to the car and into town. Keith suggested the diner they went to the first night and Lance agreed. Lance pulled into the parking lot of the diner and they made their way inside.

Seated across from Lance, a menu in hand, Keith couldn’t help but wonder if this was what a date with Lance would be like. Would they always do something fun and grab food later? Or would they switch it up every time? Would he drive Lance home or would Lance drive him? Would it end with a goodnight kiss? Would they—

“Burger?” Lance asked, not looking up from his menu.

“Probably,” Keith answered. “Shakes?”

Lance looked up, grinning. “There’s no other way to have it.”

A waitress came by a few minutes later and jotted down their orders. With a pop of her bubblegum and a wink sent their way, she twirled around and walked away. Keith noticed how Lance’s gaze lingered on her for an extra second before turning back to Keith. His stomach dropped.

Lance was never going to look at Keith the way he looked at their waitress or Nyma or even Madelyn Clark. He had to accept it, and the sooner he did, the less pain he would feel.

It didn’t take long for their food to arrive. The waitress returned in record time to serve them, her eyes lingering on Lance. He thanked her, sending her one of his very own blinding smiles. 

“Enjoy your meal, boys.” she giggled.

Keith’s eyes widened as he watched her skip away. He turned to look at Lance who had already moved on. “What the hell was that?” he asked incredulously.

Lance looked up, eyebrows furrowed. “What was what?”

Keith nodded at the waitress cleaning tables a few feet away. “That. Don’t you have a thing going on with Nyma?”

“Weren’t you the one who thought it was a one time thing?” Lance popped a fry into his mouth and leaned back. “Change your mind?”

“Pidge said that,” Keith corrected. “And I’m just saying. You were ready to declare your love for Nyma and now you’re flirting with our waitress?”

“Since when do you care?”

Keith tried not to be hurt by the comment. He understood what Lance was getting at, but it still rubbed him the wrong way.

“You’re my best friend and I don’t want you to do something stupid.”

Lance lifted a hand to his heart and smiled. “How sickeningly sweet of you, Keith.”

Keith swiftly kicked Lance under the table and picked up his burger. He focused on eating, a sure distraction from his feelings and the state of Lance’s love life.

As always, lunch was nothing short of amazing. They were both stuffed by the time they wandered out of the diner. The car was just feet away when a voice stopped them in their tracks.

“Lance? Keith?”

Keith immediately recognized Nyma’s cheery voice and suppressed the urge to groan. He did not need this today.

Lance turned to face Nyma and Keith followed suit, plastering the best fake smile on his face he could muster.

“I’m surprised you’re still here,” Nyma said to Lance, her left hand moving to twirl platinum blonde hair.

“We’re gonna be here for a while, actually.” Lance smiled, looking her up and down. Keith wanted to throw up.

Nyma batted her lashes. “Are you free right now? We didn’t get to the fun stuff the other night and I was really hoping we would.”

Part of Keith hoped that Lance would go with her just so he could go back to the house and drown himself in coffee and self-pity. But the other part of him was screaming at Lance to reject her and choose Keith.

Lance laughed nervously, running a hand through his hair. “Sounds like fun, but. . .” he glanced over at Keith for a millisecond before returning his gaze to Nyma. “Keith and I are spending the day together since everyone else is busy with their own stuff.”

“Too bad,” Nyma said, subtly sending a glare Keith’s way. “I don’t wanna be alone tonight.”

Keith cleared his throat and both heads turned to him. “He’ll call you.” 

Lance nodded, eyes lingering on Keith for a moment. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, I’ll call or text or whatever.”

Nyma huffed. “Yeah, okay, fine. Whatever.” She took one last look at Lance before strutting past them. When she moved to shove Keith’s shoulder, he stepped out of the way at the last second, letting her look stupid rather than cool like she intended. He chuckled watching her seething figure retreat.

Keith climbed into the car before Lance could say anything and rested his head back against the seat. He couldn’t believe that just happened. Surprisingly, he wasn’t worried about Lance being suspicious or asking questions. He felt better about himself and he decided right then that if he and Nyma were going to war, there was no way in hell he’d let her win.

—————

There was something about the way Keith stood his ground against Nyma that sparked. . . emotion, in Lance. He just couldn’t place it. The way Keith stared her down, refusing to back off was something else entirely. It had to mean something, right?

Maybe their friendship was finally getting back on track.

Keith didn’t say anything the whole ride back to the house. Lance could tell he didn’t want to talk about what almost happened or didn’t happen or Nyma, period. It was becoming increasingly obvious how much Keith disliked her. Even Nyma seemed to catch on and she didn’t like it one bit.

The two of them stayed home for the rest of the afternoon, lounging in the living room with controllers in hand and a bag of chips between them. This was exactly what Lance had been missing lately. Although Keith had started coming around a bit more again the last few months, something still felt off. Lance kept trying to figure out what exactly had changed, but each time came up blank. 

Again, he considered striking up a conversation with Keith, steering it to his recent behaviour and the reasons behind it. He chanced a glance at Keith who was too busy concentrating on the game to notice. Keith was entrancing. There was no other way to describe it. The light that seeped in through the windows shone on Keith in just the right way, making him glow. He looked effortlessly stunning, and—

Woah woah woah woah.

There was no way Lance was attracted to Keith. . . Right? They had been friends for so many years and not once did either of them look at or think of each other in that light. They were friends and they always would be.

Lance shifted his gaze back to the screen. He hadn’t realized how distracted he’d become and struggled to catch up, which of course, he didn’t.

They played a few more rounds, shouting when they won or lost, cursing when things didn’t go their way, laughing at each other’s misfortune. 

“Hey, you wanna watch a movie?” Keith asked a few rounds later. He had paused the game and was looking over at Lance. Lance couldn’t help but notice how much more relaxed he seemed now than earlier this morning.

“Sure,” Lance agreed. “But you better not pick one of your creepy horror movies.”

Keith laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners. His smile lit up his whole face. It was nice. “Fine. But no cheesy romance movies from you,” he countered.

“I don’t know what you have against them.” Lance pouted. “They’re adorable!”

Keith gave him a pointed look as he stood up from the couch. “They’re predictable and they all end the same.”

Snatching up the remote, Lance took the liberty of scrolling through their options. Keith disappeared into the kitchen, probably for a drink. When he came back, he stood slightly off to the side, chewing his bottom lip in thought. It took way too much strength for Lance to not look.

“Do you wanna order some food?”

Lance looked over at the clock, surprised to see how late it had gotten. Hunk and Shay would no doubt be going out for dinner and Pidge. . . well, Pidge did her own thing. “Sure,” he said. “Chinese?”

“Exactly what I was thinking.”

While Keith ordered dinner, Lance narrowed their options down to three movies. They seemed interesting enough and Keith was bound to want to watch at least one of them. 

Sure enough, they were able to agree on a movie—a comedy, at that—and settled in. When the food came, Lance offered to get it before Keith could even move. They spread everything out on the coffee table in front of them and dove right in. 

“Wow,” Lance said, shovelling noodles into his mouth. “We haven’t done this in way too long.”

Keith looked nervous as he said, “Yeah. It’s been a while.”

Lance didn’t know what to think. One moment Keith was finally easing up and being himself again, and the next his walls were up. It was like a switch went off in his brain reminding him that he was supposed to be avoiding Lance, not binge eat with him during a movie.

To make matters worse, there was nothing Lance could do or say to fix it. He wished he could read Keith’s mind, find out what’s really been going on with him.

“Why have you been so distant?” The words were out before he could stop them, hanging in the air like a storm cloud.

Keith frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean.”

“I told you before,” Keith said, voice firm. “I’ve been busy with work and all that. When I’m not working, I’m tired and just wanna be home.”

Lance nodded slowly even though he didn’t believe Keith’s answer. Over and over again, it was made abundantly clear why he shouldn’t keep pushing. Keith wasn’t going to tell him whatever was going on in his head—in his life. 

“Hey, c’mon, don’t do that.”

“What?” Lance raised a brow at Keith who had shifted to face Lance.

“That thing—” Keith said, gesturing wildly with his hand. “Where you look like a kicked puppy. What is it? What’s up?”

Lance sighed. “I miss you, dumbass.” There was no point in denying it. If Keith wasn’t going to say it, Lance would.

Keith seemed surprised by Lance’s answer; his eyes wide, lips slightly parted. God, why did he look so good? Has Keith always looked this good?

“Oh,” was all he said. They returned to silence, the only sounds coming from the movie still playing on the television.

Was it a mistake to tell Keith that he missed him? Would it weird him out?

Keith’s face was unreadable. He never gave away what he was thinking or feeling, and it still held true today. 

Lance banished the questions to the back of his mind, trying desperately to refocus on what was playing out on the screen. Sesame chicken sat heavy in his stomach like a cinder block, his mouth dry as a desert. He took a sip of water, trying to calm the blazing inferno set alight in his body.

Then,

Ever so quietly, so delicately, like something could break if he spoke too loud—

Keith whispered, “I miss you, too.”

—————

It felt like months had passed by the time Shiro and Allura arrived at the lake house. Everyone was excited to see them—and a bit disappointed they’d only be there for the weekend—but especially Keith. He was growing desperate to talk to someone about his situation with Lance. Since Shiro seemed to be the only one to know, it would have to be him.

Unfortunately for Keith, every time he tried to get to Shiro, someone else popped up and the opportunity was whisked away. He tried cornering him in the kitchen, ready to subtly bring up his Lance problem, when Pidge sauntered in, grumbling about Hunk never having the right snacks. Then there was the moment outside. It was just Keith, Shiro, and Allura. He figured Shiro had probably already said something to Allura anyway, so he didn’t worry too much about her hearing. He opened his mouth, ready to speak, when Lance himself joined them outside and would not leave for even a minute, ugh.

The only time Keith would be able to talk to Shiro would be at night when everyone else was asleep. He’d sneak into Shiro’s room and complain long enough for Shiro to actually listen and help him. It usually worked.

That night, when most of the house was asleep, Keith made his move. He, Shiro, Allura, and Pidge were downstairs watching whatever was playing on TV at this hour. When Shiro excused himself to get more water from the kitchen, Keith waited two seconds before following him.

“Shiro,” he whisper-yelled as he entered the kitchen.

Shiro turned away from where he was pouring himself a glass of water. He raised a brow at Keith. “Hey, buddy. . . Can I help you?”

Keith hopped up on the kitchen counter, leaning his head back against the cupboard. “Lance is killing me,” he whined. “And since you’re the only one who. . . knows, I need your advice.”

Shiro snorted. “Do you really think I’m the only one who can tell how in love with each other you guys are?”

Keith frantically hushed his friend, glaring at him from his seat on the counter. “Would you be quiet? I don’t need the whole house knowing.”

Shiro rolled his eyes which Keith promptly ignored. He took a sip of water, cleared his throat, and gave Keith a sympathetic look. “I really think you should just tell him how you feel, Keith,” he advised. “I know you like to deny it, but Lance is probably looking at you the same way. And even if he isn’t, he’s not going to shut you out just because you have feelings.”

“Probably is a long shot,” Keith said. “And he’d get totally weird about it. He’d make a big deal out of nothing and I. . . I don’t wanna see where that goes.” If Keith followed his original plan, everything would work out fine. Lance would forget about him eventually and they would both have a chance to move on. No one needed to get hurt.

“He’s your best friend, Keith,” Shiro reminded him, frowning now.

Keith sighed. “He’ll find someone else.”

They were quiet for a moment, only the faint sounds of people on a screen filling the silence. There was nothing Shiro could say to make Keith feel better, though he wished there was. The reality of it all was Keith had found himself in an ugly situation and he was the only one who could get himself out of it.

“By the way.” Keith cleared his throat, avoiding eye contact. “If Lance says anything, you’re looking for a new apartment.”

“What? Why would I be—” Shiro’s eyes widened as he understood what Keith was implying. He sighed again, sounding increasingly frustrated this time. “You’re looking at apartments? Seriously? Keith, running away from this isn’t going to make things better.”

“You don’t know that,” Keith snapped. He needed someone to understand. He thought of all people, Shiro would. “I can’t stay here and worry about Lance finding out the truth, alright? Because I know he will and I don’t want to be around when that happens. It’ll be easier for both of us if I just leave.”

“What are you going to tell him?”

“I don’t know! I’ll tell him I got a better job or something and I had to move to take it.”

“So you have this all figured out then?”

Keith stared at the floor, wishing it would open up and swallow him whole. He wanted more than anything to be free of what he was feeling. After spending an entire day with Lance, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to hide the truth for much longer.

“Look, I was just considering moving,” Keith said, voice quiet and soft. He lifted his head to look Shiro in the eye. “But every day that I’m here with Lance, sleeping next to him, while he goes out flirting with Nyma, I realize that I really can’t do this. Not anymore.”

Thankfully, Shiro didn’t ask about Nyma. Keith didn’t want to have to get into that now, too.

“If you leave. . .” Shiro started, eyes downcast. He seemed torn about what he wanted to say. “If you leave, you’re going to hurt Lance, and you’re going to hurt yourself. I want you to be happy, Keith, but I don’t think you’ll be happy somewhere else.”

“I won’t stay away forever,” Keith assured, knowing it was a lie.

Shiro shook his head, a sad smile on his face. “Yeah, you will.”

Keith didn’t know what else to say. He knew now where Shiro stood and had a pretty good idea of how he’d react if he followed through with his plan. But it didn’t matter what Shiro thought. In the end, Keith would do what was best for him. And if that meant letting go of Lance. . .

He would make that sacrifice.

—————

Lance was having a crisis.

It was just after eight and he was sprawled across his and Keith’s bed, scrolling through his socials, when his phone chimed with a new message. From Nyma. He hurriedly opened the text, a bit surprised to see that she wanted to meet up, but not too surprised. He, in all honesty, had thought this thing between them would be a one time thing that night they met. But when they hung out a second time and a third, he started to wonder if maybe this was going to be a serious thing. 

He typed out a response, thumb hovering, ready to hit send, when something stopped him. Keith. Keith stopped him, but he denied that to himself. The idea of leaving Keith to wait up for him made his stomach twist into knots. Seeing the look on his face when he told him he was going out with Nyma would be even worse. He couldn’t do that to his best friend. . . Could he?

It wasn’t like he was involved with Keith. He wasn’t cheating on him in any way, shape, or form, so why did it feel like exactly that? Why wasn’t he feeling elated at the thought of Nyma being interested in him? Why was he not rushing down the hall to gush to Keith like he had with every other girl or guy he’d been into? Why was this time so different?

A knock at the door startled him. Instinctively, he shut off his phone and sat up to see who was at the door.

Allura smiled softly at him, looking elegant as always. It was funny; Lance always felt the need to compliment Allura to someone when he saw her, but this time, he didn’t. Someone else was on his mind.

“Can I come in?” Allura asked hesitantly, eyeing the ruffled sheets and dim lighting. 

“Yeah, of course,” Lance said. “Actually, can you turn on the light? My head’s starting to spin.”

Allura slipped inside, closing the door behind her. As requested, she flipped the light switch, grimacing slightly at the shift in lighting.

“So. . .” Lance chewed his lip, unsure of what to say. “What’s up?”

Allura twirled a strand of silver hair around her finger as she stared at the floor, mulling over what she wanted to say. “Just checking in,” she replied, voice light. “It’s not like you to hide from a party.”

Lance shrugged. “I try to get a couple minutes to myself here and there.” Allura’s eyes widened and she opened her mouth to say something, but Lance cut her off, waving his hands. “You’re not interrupting, don’t worry. Someone had to pull me out of here sooner or later.”

Allura nodded and moved to sit at the end of the bed. She moved carefully and with grace, like a glass princess that would shatter if she wasn’t careful. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and smiled brightly. “The others are thinking of putting on a movie. And maybe s’mores? If you’re interested, of course.”

Nyma’s text popped back into Lance’s head like an alarm. He still hadn’t sent his reply and if he didn’t soon, she’d probably forget all about him and move on to someone new.

But he also wanted to stay. If he stayed, he’d be with all of his friends, enjoying a fun night that didn’t come up very often. 

Keith would be there. He didn’t want to disappoint him.

Then again, he also wasn’t sure Keith necessarily wanted him there. He’d been so dodgy during their stay and even before that. Would he really care if Lance skipped out on one movie night?

“That sounds like fun,” Lance said truthfully. “But, I’m actually about to step out and meet someone. For a little while, anyway.”

Allura frowned. “Oh.” Her eyes darted across Lance’s face. She seemed to be waiting for him to say more, and when he didn’t, she spoke again. “Are you meeting Nyma?”

“Uh. . .” Lance cleared his throat, feeling increasingly uncomfortable. “Yeah, I am. Wait, how do you know about that? I don’t think I said anything?”

Allura’s face paled and she stood up from the bed, making her way to the door. “Must’ve heard it from someone around the house,” she said, opening the door. Lance wanted to stop her, but he felt frozen to the spot. “I’ll tell everyone you’re busy.”

Lance stared at the door after she left, mouth agape. How did Allura know about Nyma? Who could have told her? Lance doubted Hunk or Pidge would bother bringing her up in a conversation and Shay definitely wouldn’t have mentioned her. But that only left. . . Keith. As much as Keith liked Allura, he would never talk to her about who Lance was dating. So who—

The gears in Lance’s head turned and clicked into place. The answer was obvious, now that he had thought about it. There was only one logical explanation, and that was that Keith had mentioned Nyma to Shiro who then told Allura. The only thing Lance couldn’t figure out was why Nyma was an interesting enough topic to bring up with Allura.

Deciding he needed some air, and fast, Lance opened his phone and sent off his original text to Nyma.

A distraction was exactly what he needed.

—————

Just like he had on their first night here, Keith found himself waiting up for Lance. It was almost eleven now, and Lance was still out. With Nyma. He wasn’t really sure where Lance had gone to meet her, just that he had. The thought of them together made him sick and he hated that he felt this way.

It was becoming harder to hide it, too. Minutes after Lance had left, Allura found Keith rummaging through the fridge for any kind of alcohol. She had pulled him into a tight hug, assuring him that he shouldn’t be upset, Nyma wasn’t going to last. In the moment, Allura’s actions had made him feel better, but now, that feeling dissipated. It wasn’t that Nyma was temporary, it was that Lance chose to go out with her instead of staying here with his friends—with Keith.

How was it so easy for Lance to choose? Keith was losing his mind over trying to figure out if he should move away or stay with the only boy he’s truly loved, who doesn’t love him back. 

It wasn’t fair.

Neither was Keith’s incessant need to make sure Lance came home safe. Sure, everyone else was still awake, wandering around the first floor like zombies, doing whatever they were doing. But Keith was awake for Lance. He wanted to make sure he was okay.

And in some kind of sick twisted fate, Keith always would.

—————

It didn’t take very long for Lance to realize that he should’ve stayed back at the house. Within five minutes of being with Nyma—and her friends, whom he did not expect to see—he began feeling uncomfortable and regretted his decision.

They were at someone’s house—Rolo’s, maybe—passing around bottles and joints like it was something they did every day. Lance politely declined each offer he received, but with every unamused look thrown his way, the less sure he felt about saying no.

At the half hour mark, a drunk and probably high Nyma dragged Lance into an empty room, pushing the door shut with a bang. In seconds she was on him, kissing every inch of skin she could get her hands—her lips—on. Lance was burning under her touch, but for a different reason this time. Her touch felt like scorch marks—unwelcoming and unpleasant. He knew stopping her was the right thing to do, but wasn’t this what he wanted? A distraction?

Slowly, her hand travelled down his chest, lower and lower. She grabbed him, a bit roughly for his liking, and nudged him backwards onto the bed. Everything seemed to happen at lightning speed; Nyma pulling up his shirt, Nyma undressing, the stench of alcohol and weed inching their way into Lance’s lungs. It was so much, too much.

“Nyma,” Lance croaked, voice barely even there.

“Like that?” she giggled, pressing impossibly closer to him. “There’s so much I wanna do to you. . .”

Alarm bells went off in Lance’s mind, bright red and loud. It was wrong, so wrong. He wasn’t supposed to be here, not with Nyma, not at all. It wasn’t Nyma he wanted pressed up against him, kissing his neck. Everything was off balance, no, this wasn’t right.

“Nyma,” Lance tried again, lifting his hand to gently shove Nyma away. “Nyma, stop.”

In an instant, the moment was broken. The world came to a screeching halt as Nyma sat up, staring down at Lance in disbelief. “What?” she asked incredulously, a snarl working its way onto her face. “What did you say?”

Lance was sitting up now too, making Nyma move out of his lap. “I said, no, Nyma,” he said, more affirmative this time. “I don’t— I don’t want this. It’s wrong. I shouldn’t be here.”

“You shouldn’t be here,” Nyma repeated, voice steady. “Or you shouldn’t be with me?”

Huffing, Lance stood up from the bed and walked to the door, pulling it open. He looked back at Nyma and said, “Both,” before walking out, not bothering to close the door behind him.

—————

Sometime after midnight, Keith was awoken by a pain in his right leg. It felt numb, like someone had placed brick upon brick on it. When he tried to shake some feeling into his leg, it wouldn’t budge. Panicking slightly now, Keith sat up and rubbed his eyes. It was pitch black, only a sliver of moonlight shining through the cracks of the curtains. He reached for his phone on the coffee table and turned on the flashlight, gasping when he saw what—or who—was the cause of the pain.

Lance was curled up on the opposite side of the couch, blanket draped over him from the torso down. Keith glanced down, noticing that he, too, was under the blanket.

He couldn’t remember Lance coming home or falling asleep. With a quick glance at the clock, he knew it couldn’t have all happened very long ago. The most logical explanation would have to be that Keith fell unconscious after everyone else went to bed, and Lance, for whatever reason, joined him on the couch when he arrived home.

As much as Keith wanted to crawl over to the other side of the couch and pull Lance into his arms, he couldn’t. It was wrong, he knew that. Lance had just spent the night with Nyma, doing who knows what—Keith didn’t want to go there. Being close to Lance was suffocating him, and he needed to get out. He needed to breathe again, for his heart to remain at a steady pace instead of racing through his chest. 

Lifting the blanket off of himself, Keith slowly stood from the couch, trying to make as little noise as possible. He made his way over to the back sliding door, and slipped out into the night.

It was much cooler now than it was during the day, but he barely felt it. The sweater he had thrown on earlier was still on his body, blocking the cold air from touching his skin. Coincidentally enough, it was the sweater Lance had gifted him.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets and leaning back against the wall, Keith stared out at the lake. The water lapped against the shore, calm unlike during the day. Watching the water move back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, was soothing. Keith fell into a sort of trance, sitting there, letting his mind be wiped of intruding thoughts.

Wrapped up in his sweater, it was almost like Lance was there with him, holding him in his arms. It was probably the closest Keith would ever get to the real thing; he savoured the feeling.

How he had managed to find himself in such a mess, he had no clue. At this point he couldn’t even remember what his life was like before loving Lance. Was it better? Did he fall asleep easily? Did he go about his day like any other, not worrying about seeing his best friend? When did Keith cross that line? It seemed as though every day since senior year, Keith has just been wandering farther and farther across that line. That line remained in the past, just like his dad.

Keith wondered, for a brief moment, if his dad would have figured it all out if he was still here. Would he have noticed the changes in Keith and pieced it all together? Would it have been him giving him a pep talk before he left instead of Shiro? He was sure the answer to his questions would have been yes. His father wasn’t the most confronting man, but when it came to Keith, he never held back. He would’ve known what to say right now, what Keith should do. The pain in Keith’s chest blossomed like a flower, spreading to all corners of his body. It felt fresh, like the night he got the call about his dad. It was like losing him all over again, and it didn’t hurt any less. He wished he could call him, hear his voice, tell him he loved him. All he really wanted was his dad, but he’d never have him again.

The first tear snaked its way down his cheek, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. Keith hated crying; he hated how it made him feel, he hated letting something break him down. He couldn’t even remember the last time he let himself break down and cry. It couldn’t have been senior year, could it? Had it been so many years?

The sound of the sliding door creaking open startled Keith. He pulled the hood of his sweater over his head as he pressed against the wall, wishing he could disappear.

They can’t see me cry, they can’t see me cry, chanted over and over in his head.

“Keith?”

Shit.

Lance’s voice was soft and laced with concern. Keith turned his head slightly to the left, glancing over at his friend. “Hi,” he croaked, cringing at the way his voice sounded. 

Lance shut the door behind him before taking a seat next to Keith. “Hey, buddy,” he said, frowning at Keith’s state. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Keith, c’mon, talk to me.” He nudged Keith’s shoulder, urging him to continue.

Keith shook his head, a few strands of hair falling in front of his face. He didn’t move them. “I just don’t feel good,” he replied. “Seriously, Lance, it’s really nothing.”

“It doesn’t look like nothing.” Lance put a hand on Keith’s shoulder, shaking him gently. Keith looked at him for a brief second before looking away. Lance gasped, movements faltering. “Keith, are you. . . Are you crying?”

“No,” he said, tone harsh. It only made him want to cry more.

“We don’t have to talk about it,” Lance whispered, settling in close to Keith again. “I just wanna make sure you’re okay.”

It broke Keith’s heart knowing what he wanted to do—what he wanted to do to Lance. He was so ready to leave him stranded without another word and here Lance was, sitting with him in the middle of the night, just to make sure he was okay. What did Keith ever do to deserve him?

Lance was always there for him, even if it wasn’t convenient for himself. He made Keith a priority and it showed. He left a date just to be there for Keith when his world turned upside down. He never asked for anything in return, he just gave. And Keith took and took and took without really ever giving back.

The words slipped out before he could stop them.

“I think my dad would’ve known.”

Lance went still next to him. “Known what?”

“Just. . . Everything, I guess.” Keith paused, searching for something believable to say. “He would’ve known why I’m upset and. . . And he’d know how to make me feel better. He knew me.”

Lance didn’t respond. Keith didn’t blame him. What was there to say when someone brought their dead father into a conversation? There weren’t many options.

“I never told you this,” Lance started, and Keith whipped his head around to face Lance. Lance’s eyes were wide, but he continued. “Once when I went over to your place, I was waiting downstairs for you with your dad. We were talking and out of nowhere he thanked me. I was super confused because I hadn’t done anything, and when I asked, he just said, ‘I’m glad Keith has you as a friend. Thank you.’ and that was it. He never said anything like that again.”

Keith chuckled humourlessly. “My dad always liked you.”

Lance smiled. “You miss him, don’t you?”

It was a stupid question and Keith knew that. Lance probably did too, judging by the way he cringed after he asked it. Any other time Keith would’ve told him so, but this time felt different. He was trying to open up to Lance. He deserved to get a better glimpse into Keith’s head.

“Yeah,” Keith affirmed, voice barely above a whisper. “It hurts, Lance. It hurts so much, I don’t know what to do—”

In seconds, he was wrapped up in Lance’s arms, his face buried in the crook of his friend’s neck as he cried. He wrapped his arms around Lance’s waist and held on tight. He didn’t ever want to let go, not when this was what it was like to be comforted by Lance. They’d hugged a thousand times before, but it was different now. There was more emotion, more meaning. Keith wasn’t just holding onto Lance because he was sad—he was holding on because he finally had him where he wanted him to be and he wasn’t ready to let that go.

“I’m here, okay?” Lance squeezed a little tighter. “I’m always gonna be here.”

“I’m sorry,” Keith cried. “I’m sorry for running from you. I was scared. I didn’t know what else to do.”

Lance pulled back so he could look into Keith’s eyes. He had started crying too, though not as much. “Lucky for you, I’m in this for the long haul.”

Keith laughed, ignoring the pang of hurt in his chest. Lance still didn’t get it, he didn’t understand. But that was okay. Keith did.

Lance’s gaze dropped to Keith’s chest and he chuckled. “Are you wearing that sweater I got you? I thought you hated it.”

Keith frowned. “What? I wear it all the time, dumbass.”

“Okay, I think I’ve seen you wear it, like, once and then it disappeared. You actually like it?”

Keith rolled his eyes. “It’s a sweater, Lance. Yes, I like it.”

It was a simple sweater, really. It was black with the outline of a lion in red plastered on the chest. Keith had been a bit confused by the lion at first, but he had grown to love it. Wearing it made him feel close to Lance, even when he wasn’t so far away.

“Mm, so do I,” Lance commented. “You look emo, of course, but you look good.”

Keith smacked the back of Lance’s head. “Is this your way of making me feel better?”

“Is it working?”

“No.”

Keith realized how close they were and scooted back, out of Lance’s arms once again. He could’ve sworn Lance’s face fell, but with the darkness surrounding them, he doubted it.

They sat together, side by side, without saying a word. Just having Lance there was enough for Keith. It made him remember why he had fallen in love with Lance in the first place and hadn’t fallen out—not that he needed much remembering. He was reminded every time he saw Lance.

A few minutes passed, and Keith was sure Lance had fallen asleep. He was about to get up and help him inside, when Lance spoke.

“For what it’s worth,” he said, head falling on Keith’s shoulder. “I think your dad would be proud of you.”

—————

The first thing Lance noticed when he woke up was the amount of pain he was in. He had fallen asleep again on the couch, his body twisted like a contortionist. His neck muscles ached and just about every inch of his body screamed at him to move.

The second thing he noticed was that he was alone on the couch. Keith was no longer curled up at the other end, making him wonder if Keith had made a second escape to the deck, but when he checked, Keith was nowhere to be found. He figured Keith was in their room getting ready or having breakfast in the other room.

Making his way to the kitchen, he was surprised to find Hunk, Pidge, and Shiro huddled together, speaking in hushed voices.

“They have to know now, right? I mean, seriously, it’s been, what? Five or so years?” Pidge was speaking, her tone clipped and voice sharp.

Someone sighed. Hunk. “Well, Lance did go out with Nyma last night, so probably not.”

“God, I’m this close to telling them myself,” Pidge grumbled.

“We can’t.” Shiro. “That’s not fair. Plus, what if we’re wrong?”

Lance took the opportunity to make his presence known. Striding into the kitchen with a giant grin on his face, he exclaimed, “Good morning! Are you guys congregating without me? What’s the news?”

The three of them shared a look, communicating through glances that Lance couldn’t decipher. He waited expectantly until Pidge narrowed her eyes and looked him up and down. “How was your night with Nina?”

“Nyma.”

“Sorry, did I forget to mention that I don’t care?” Pidge turned around and rummaged through the fridge for the carton of milk. Opening it, she drank straight from the opening, side-eyeing Lance as she did so.

“Did I miss something?” Lance raised a brow, slightly taken aback by Pidge’s comment.

“Nothing, Lance,” Hunk assured. “Did you have fun last night?”

Lance folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against the counter, shaking his head. “Don’t think I’ll be seeing her again.”

Shiro’s eyes widened. “Did something happen? Was there a fight?”

“I guess.” Lance shrugged. “It just felt. . . Wrong. I can’t explain it, I just knew I wasn’t supposed to be there. And then when I said that, Nyma freaked and I left. By the way, where’s Keith? I haven’t seen him.”

“Weren’t you two all cozy together last night? How the hell should we know where he went?” Pidge quipped, hopping up onto the counter.

“We haven’t seen him, Lance,” Hunk answered, narrowing his eyes at Pidge.

“He probably went out for a run or something,” Shiro guessed. “He’ll be back, don’t worry.”

But Lance was worried. Last night’s conversation was the most intimate one they’d ever shared. Things were left unsaid, lingering questions went unanswered. Lance knew how Keith felt about getting so emotional. He was worried it might have gotten to his head and scared him off. What if he went home?

By noon there was still no sign of Keith. Lance had searched all over the house and the surrounding area, but he couldn’t find his friend anywhere. It had been hours since anyone had seen or heard from Keith and he was beginning to panic. His numerous texts and calls went unanswered, as they did for Shiro and Pidge when they tried as well.

Soon enough everyone in the house had the same question on their minds: Where was Keith? 

“Can we please go into town and look for him?” Lance pleaded. “Or at least ask if anyone’s seen him. I just wanna make sure he’s alive.”

Pidge rolled her eyes. “He’s not dead, Lance. Do you even know Keith?”

Allura rested a hand on Lance’s shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile. “We’ll find him. We just need to think of where he might be.”

“Let’s split up,” Shiro suggested. “We’ll cover more ground that way and one of us will find him sooner or later.”

Lance nodded eagerly, just about ready to run out the door in anticipation. “So we’ll do Shiro and Allura, Hunk and Shay, and I’ll go with Pidge.”

Pidge groaned in annoyance. “Why am I stuck with you?”

“Because you’re the only one that’ll keep up with me.”

The group broke off into twos, hopping in their cars and speeding off down the road toward town. Lance made his way to his car, only to realize that the spot he left it in was now empty.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

“What?” 

“He took my car!”

Pidge walked away, gravel crunching under foot. “We’ll just take Hunk’s, c’mon.”

Since their friends were checking main attractions, Lance decided they should visit every spot he and Keith had visited a few days ago. It seemed logical enough, so they hit the quarry first. Of course, there was no sign of Keith anywhere by the water or in the woods. They checked the clearing where the party was held the first night, the mini shops scattered at the edge of town, and of course, the diner. With every new place they looked, Lance was sure they’d find Keith. After all, there were only so many places he could be. But he was never there.

“Shit,” Lance cursed, slamming the wheel with the palm of his hand and immediately regretting it afterwards. Pain spread through his hand and he rested his head against the seat, closing his eyes. “Is this my fault, Pidge? Did I scare him away?”

“Why would you scare him away?”

Lance sighed. “We had some kind of moment last night, I don’t know. We were talking and Keith was opening up, but it still felt like he was holding something back. I don’t know what it is he’s so scared of telling me, but it has to be about that. I can’t think of anything else.”

“Lance, Keith is always going to have some kind of secret tucked away, that’s just who he is,” Pidge said. “But you can’t blame yourself for that.”

“I can always get something out of him,” he argued. “But he just won’t budge, Pidge. I don’t wanna pry, but it’s killing me. What won’t he tell me?”

“Lance. . .”

“Do you know?” Lance twisted in his seat so he could face Pidge. Her eyes were wide as she stared back at him. “Please, Pidge, if you know. . . You gotta tell me.”

Pidge pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes, sighing. “Look, I have a guess, but if it’s true, I really can’t tell you, okay? You have to hear it from Keith.”

“You’re supposed to be my friend.”

“I am your friend. But I’m Keith’s, too. It’s not fair to him if I air his dirty laundry.”

Lance thought back to their conversation on the deck last night. Keith had said something about his dad knowing. Knowing what? He hadn’t truly believed Keith’s answer, but he had let it slide. Now it was at the front of his mind in bold, capitalized letters.

I think my dad would’ve known.

Lance could attest to the fact that Keith’s dad really did notice everything. He would’ve known why Keith was being so dodgy with Lance and why he was nowhere to be found. He would’ve known what to say to Lance if he was sitting here in the car with him instead of Pidge. He would’ve known why Lance had such a desperate need to find Keith and make sure he was okay. He’d know he’d know he’d know.

God, why didn’t Lance know?

Why was it so hard to place what he had been feeling these past few days? These past weeks, months, years. There had always been something poking at him in the back of his mind, he just hadn’t been trying to listen to it—until now. Now, he wanted that voice to come back. He wanted it to scream at him until it all made sense.

It was strange. So, so strange that Lance had never felt this way about anyone he’d dated before. He’d never felt such a strong need, such a strong desire to know that they were okay. That they weren’t going to leave. People left his life all the time—he got used to it. He tried his best not to get hung up on the idea of someone being there one minute and gone the next. He knew from the moment he saw Nyma that they would never last. They were cut from two completely different cloths, and they would never work together. Letting go of Nyma had been such a relief. It was a wonder it took him until now to realize that he had been relieved because that meant going home to Keith.

There was no way he had feelings for Keith, though. . . Was there? They were friends from high school that saw each other whenever they could. They were friends that could go a week without talking and still pick up right where they left off. It was easy with Keith, it always has been. But that didn’t mean they weren’t meant for each other in a romantic way. They were as close as best friends could get, right?

Lance knew that, but he couldn’t say the same about Keith.

“I’m an idiot,” Lance whispered. “Oh my God! Pidge! I need to find Keith, right now.”

Pidge smiled mischievously and settled into her seat. “About time. Let’s roll.”

Putting the car in drive, Lance sped through town, eyes scanning all around for any sign of Keith. He was here somewhere—Lance just had to find him. Down the street, he spotted Hunk and Shay exiting the movie theatre. He pulled up next to them and rolled down the window.

“Any sign of him yet?” 

They both shook their heads. “No one we’ve talked to has seen him today,” Shay reported. “But we’ll keep looking.”

Lance nodded. “I’m gonna go back to the house and see if he’s there.”

Pidge unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the passenger door. “I’m gonna go with Hunk and Shay,” she told him. “You’ll be good?”

“Yeah,” Lance said, letting out a shaky breath. “I’m good.”

Pidge smiled and got out of the car. The second the door shut, Lance was off. He had no time to waste. Finding Keith was an absolute must now, and he wouldn’t stop until he did.

As he drove, he played back the last year in his head. Everything made sense now; Keith being around twenty-four seven one week and disappearing the next, the hesitance about going out, the extra shifts. Keith was hiding from Lance on purpose and now Lance knew why.

Keith had feelings for him. How strong, he wasn’t sure, but they were there. It made sense that Keith hadn’t seriously dated anyone since high school and how he reacted to meeting Nyma. How the hell did Lance not notice then?

As if that wasn’t enough, in the back of his mind, Lance knew that he was also in love with Keith. For a while, at that. Last night was the last piece of the puzzle Lance needed to see the whole picture. 

I think my dad would’ve known.

He would’ve known they were in love with each other.

But maybe he already did. Maybe he figured out before he died and never said anything. What if he was waiting until they got together to finally say, “Ah ha! I knew you’d end up together!”

And Hunk. And Pidge. And Shiro. They knew? They had to. That had to be what they were talking about earlier before Lance interrupted them. They were talking about him and Keith.

“How did I not notice sooner?” he wondered to himself.

He arrived at the house within minutes, jumping out of the car as soon as it came to a stop. He almost missed the blue car sitting in the driveway. Almost.

“Keith.”

Barrelling through the door, Lance sprinted down the hall, checking every room. When he found them all empty, he moved upstairs and checked the rooms up there. His heart sunk further and further each time he opened a new door. He stopped in front of the last door—the room Shiro and Allura were sharing—took a deep breath, and twisted the doorknob. Still, no sign of Keith.

Lance dropped to his knees and stared at the empty room. It felt impossible, unreal. Keith was, undoubtedly, gone. And it was Lance’s fault.

What if this was it? What if Keith had decided that it was too much to be around Lance with such a big secret? Was he really gone? If he was, would Lance ever see him again?

With a heavy heart, Lance descended the staircase. If Keith didn’t want to be found, then they wouldn’t find him. They would have to hope they’d hear from him again, even if it was only for a moment.

He dropped himself on the couch, bringing his knees up to his chest. Lance felt hollow in a way he had never felt before. People had come and gone from his life in the past—Madelyn, Nyma, and now, Keith. But Keith’s absence struck a new chord inside him. One that played a different melody, a different song. He felt it deep in his gut, twisting and turning. It was slow and aching. He could go forever without having to feel it again, he thought.

Cold air wrapped Lance up in its arms, rocking him like a mother would rock her child. Goosebumps raced up and down his arms; he shivered. 

Not once had the house been so cool like this—not without some help, of course. It was always hot unless they cracked open a window. 

Lance froze. A window, or maybe, a door. He lifted his head from the couch and peered at the sliding door. Confirming his suspicion, he found it opened a crack. He figured he shouldn’t get his hopes up—Keith could still be long gone. Yet there was a voice in the back of his head that spoke up, telling him to keep looking. What was there to lose?

Sliding the door open further, Lance stepped outside and shut the door behind him. Keith wasn’t on the deck, unsurprisingly. If only it was that easy, he thought.

The pain in his heart intensified. He felt tempted, so tempted, to turn back. He wanted to bury himself beneath the covers of the bed they shared and cry. Everything that was happening was Lance’s fault. He should own up to it.

When he lifted his head, he expected to be met with the same view he saw every day: the backyard stretching on to the water’s edge, the canoe tied to the wooden dock, seagulls swooping through the air. And it was. Everything was the same as the day before. But there was something new, too.

Down the steps just a little ways from the lake’s edge sat Keith. He rested his head on his knees where they had been pulled up to his chest. He was entirely still, very much like a statue. Lance didn’t think Keith knew he was even there on the deck.

Slowly, Lance moved away from the door and down the steps toward Keith. He moved quietly and carefully, worried that any sudden noise might scare Keith off. There was no way he was losing him now.

He stopped only a few feet away, unsure of how to approach their delicate situation. Should he just walk up to his friend and sit down like it’s any other day? Maybe he should act like nothing was wrong—tell him he’s relieved that he’s okay and ask if he wanted to play a round.

But he couldn’t. Not now, not knowing what he knew. It would ruin Keith and as much as Lance wanted to wait to fight another day, he knew that wasn’t in the cards.

So, instead, he stood there and whispered, “Keith?”

He thought he might have been too quiet, but then, he noticed the way the muscles in Keith’s shoulders tensed. His heart hiccuped in his chest, waiting for Keith to respond. As if in slow motion, Keith turned his head, eyes wide and red.

“Hey, Lance.”

Lance breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that Keith wasn’t going to give him the silent treatment. He lifted a foot, ready to go sit next to Keith and then stopped. Was that all Keith had to say for himself? No apology for scaring everyone? No apology for making Lance worry like he did? That was it?

“Don’t ‘Hey, Lance’ me,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’ve been out looking for you for the past hour and that’s all you have to say?”

“I went out.”

“You went out?” Lance scoffed, stepping closer to where Keith sat. “Yeah, well I went out. Everywhere. I searched the entire town for you, so don’t bullshit me that you went out. Where did you go Keith? What did you do?”

“Nothing!” Keith was standing up now. He placed himself in front of Lance and looked him in the eye. “I went for a drive. Is that what you want to hear?”

“Oh, right. You went for a drive. In my car.”

“Does it look like mine is here?”

“It doesn’t matter!”

Keith rolled his eyes. “I brought it back. You saw. It’s fine, okay? I didn’t crash your stupid car.”

Lance closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. He was losing his cool with every passing second. He knew he was pushing Keith’s buttons, but he couldn’t help it. Yeah, he hurt Keith, and he wished he had realized sooner, but how could Keith not see that he was hurting too?

“Are you done lecturing me?” Keith asked, impatience evident in his voice.

Lance opened his eyes. He could see how nervous Keith was in the way he constantly looked away and shifted from one foot to the other. “I’m not lecturing you,” he said, voice softer this time. “I was worried about you. Don’t you get it? You ran off and I was scared that you were regretting talking to me last night. I know how hard it is for you to open up like that.”

Keith ran his hands through his hair, gripping at the back strands. “I just. . . wanted to get away for a while. I still do.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s too much, Lance.” He paused, dropped his hands from his hair. “Everything has just been too much.”

“Then let me help you.”

“You can’t.”

“Why not?”

Lance could tell there was a battle going on inside Keith’s head. Keith was hesitating, which meant he was considering. He was considering telling Lance the truth. Lance desperately wanted to hear the truth, from Keith, that is. He wanted to hear the words from himself. It was hard to believe it all when it was Lance’s voice speaking.

Keith shook his head. “I can’t. I need to go.”

Keith rushed past Lance, making a beeline for the deck. Lance whirled around, watching as his friend increased the distance between them. It was now or never, he realized. If he didn’t want to lose Keith, he would have to speak up. He had to fight for them.

“I’m sorry,” he called out. Keith froze, hand on the railing. He didn’t turn around, so Lance continued. “I’m sorry I didn’t realize sooner. I should’ve. All of the signs were there and I ignored them.”

Keith turned around, hand still gripping the railing. He looked frightened, but still he asked, “What are you talking about?”

“Us,” Lance explained. “It’s always been you and me. I’m sorry I took so long. I don’t have a good excuse, but I don’t want to give you any excuses.”

They stood, on the grass and on the deck, staring at one another, processing the impossibility of it all. Here Lance was, taking his banged up and bruised heart, and offering it to Keith. He hoped and hoped and hoped that Keith would take it. After everything, he expected this to be a bit easier. But nothing was easy with Keith. And maybe that’s why they worked.

Keith’s hand slipped from the railing as he sunk down onto the steps. He sat there, head in his hands, looking more torn than Lance had ever seen him.

Lance walked over and sat down next to Keith. He put his hand on Keith’s back and rubbed in circles until Keith stopped shaking.

There were a few minutes of silence before Keith lifted his head and stared out the water ahead. He let out a long sigh and spoke. “You remember those apartments I was looking at for Shiro?” Lance nodded slowly. “That was a lie. I was looking for me.”

“You want to move?”

“I did.”

Lance frowned and pulled back his hand. “So, you don’t want to anymore?”

“I don’t know, Lance.” Keith shook his head as he played with the drawstring of his sweater. The sweater Lance gave him. “You don’t— You don’t understand how hard it is being around someone that’s never going to look at you in any other way.”

“Keith—”

“I know it’s not fair to blame you for anything because you didn’t really do anything to intentionally hurt me,” Keith said, cutting him off. “I was handling it, but then we came here and you met Nyma and even though it was me who saw you every day, me who had known you for years, me who you shared a room with—at the end of the day it was her you were coming home from. You weren’t coming home to me.”

Lance wished someone would punch him. Once for every time he made Keith feel like crap because he was too invested in himself to pay attention to anything else that was happening. He knew Keith didn’t like Nyma from the moment they met, and he still pushed him to like her, to be friendly with her.

Did Lance even deserve Keith? Keith sure as hell deserved better than him.

“And then that night—” Keith dropped the drawstring. “I waited and waited for you and you never came. And when you did come home, you told me you came back in the middle of the night for me.”

Lance wracked his brain, trying to remember what Keith was talking about. He felt as though he should know, but the memory was so deeply archived that he wasn’t sure he could find it.

“I thought, again, maybe there’s a chance. But you kept seeing her. You skipped out on movie night to go see her.” Finally, Keith turned his head to look at Lance. “Last night was a mistake. I shouldn’t have said anything. You shouldn’t have come out. Because now I know that leaving is the only choice and it’s killing me.”

Lance’s hand shot out, gripping Keith’s wrist and surprising them both. “Keith, I don’t want you to leave. I need you. I’ve always needed you.”

“It’s okay, Lance. I’m not mad.”

“You’re not getting it—”

“I want you to be happy. All I’m going to do is hold you back.”

“Keith—”

“Lance, just listen—”

“Holy shit, Keith.” His hand let go of Keith’s wrist and moved to cover Keith’s mouth. Lance sighed as a tear rolled down his cheek. Keith’s eyes widened in surprise, but he didn’t push Lance away. In a shaky voice, Lance said, “I love you.”

The tears multiplied and soon Lance was sobbing uncontrollably. Keith grabbed his hand and gently squeezed. Lance looked at Keith, heart aching in his chest and repeated, “I love you.” He dropped his head, the heat of Keith’s gaze becoming too much. “I’ve always loved you, Keith. I just needed more time to see it.”

Keith remained silent and unmoving. Lance was scared to death that he might have stood up and left him there, but the weight in his hand told him otherwise. Keith was still there. He hadn’t run.

If Keith decided that it was too late for them, that the train had left the station, Lance would accept it. He had arrived, but he was two years late.

“Lance?”

At the sound of Keith’s voice, he lifted his head. Keith’s eyes were still red, but a little more so. He guessed Keith had been crying with him, and it tore him up even more. He never wanted Keith to cry over him again. If it came down to it, he would leave, so that Keith could stay.

“Do you—” Keith paused, biting his lip. Lance wanted to kiss him. He wanted to kiss away his worries and fears. He wanted to show him that he was being truthful, one hundred percent. “Do you mean it?”

“Yes.” He nodded hurriedly. “I do. I know I tend to over exaggerate about this kind of thing, but I’m not. Not with you.”

“Lance, I’ve loved you for years.”

“I know.”

“And now you’re here after everything with Nyma, everything in general, and you’re telling me you love me too.”

“I know.”

“But. . .”

Lance gripped Keith’s hand tighter, fearing that his next words might shatter his last remaining hope. “But?”

Keith let out a shaky breath. He seemed unsure of what he was about to say, like maybe he wasn’t sure speaking was the best idea. Like walking away would save both of them from any more pain. But Lance wasn’t going to lose him. He refused.

“But,” Keith began, a small smile creeping onto his face. “I want to believe you. More than anything.”

A dry laugh escaped Lance’s throat, not believing his ears, not trusting his own hearing. This was a good sign, right? He wasn’t losing Keith?

Lance found himself thinking about Keith’s comment last night, about his dad. It was crazy how almost losing Keith gave him so much clarity—more than he’d ever had. But if Keith’s dad was around, would it have gotten to this point? Would he have had enough of their dancing around each other and just told them to get together already? Before he could process his thoughts, he blurted, “I think you were right.” Keith frowned, raising a brow in question. Lance rushed to explain further. “About your dad knowing. He definitely would’ve known way sooner.”

A blush crept up the back of Keith’s neck and onto his face. He chuckled nervously, hair falling in front of his eyes. “I definitely would have gotten a lecture by now.”

“He would’ve been mad at me.”

“No, I don’t think so. It’s not your fault.”

“You don’t blame me?”

Keith sighed, resting his forehead against Lance’s and looking deeply into his eyes. “I’ve known for years that you’re a little slow.” Lance swatted his shoulder and Keith laughed, eyes shining bright. “But I still love you. You’re supposed to forgive people you love, right?”

Keith’s gaze was intense. He’d never looked at Lance the way he was looking at him now. At least Lance had never actually seen him look at him that way. It was both thrilling and terrifying knowing that Lance was worthy of such a gaze. How did he ever deserve Keith? How did he ever manage to fall for someone like Lance when there were so many other options?

He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should be asking those questions. Just to sate his curiosity, his nagging mind. But if Keith loved him as much as he thought he did, it would probably upset him, and Lance was past upsetting Keith.

Instead he let his eyes flicker down to Keith’s lips and back up again. He didn’t want to kiss him if Keith didn’t want it. But Keith looked almost relieved to see what Lance was insinuating. He pulled Lance closer, their faces mere inches apart. Lance could’ve sworn he heard his heart beating inside his chest. His stomach twisted into knots and he had to will himself not to throw up right now. That would be a solid deal breaker.

Neither one moved, both waiting for the other. When they realized that they were doing the exact same thing, they figured it best to go for it together—a team, two people as one. Lance met Keith in the middle, lips hesitant and unsure. It took a moment to adjust—after all, they were best friends kissing for the first time, and that wasn’t something all that common. It was different. It was weird. Not bad weird, but weird, still.

It wasn’t long until they found a rhythm, one that felt natural and right. Like they were meant to be kissing all this time. Lance felt the electricity in his veins, he couldn’t deny it. It felt like something out of a movie and he loved every second of it. He could feel Keith’s love through the kiss, it was that powerful. Kissing back with everything he had in him, he hoped he sent the same message back.

He lifted a hand to cup Keith’s face, pulling him closer. As the kiss deepened, he let his hand wander to Keith’s hair, running his fingers through the soft strands, gripping just slightly when Keith’s hand landed on his thigh.

It was hard to believe that he had missed out on so many weeks, months, years of this. How did he miss it all? How did he not realize that Keith was always there, waiting for him? Thinking about it all now, Lance couldn’t remember what his life was like before he met Keith. Not as exciting, he’d bet. Less complicated, for sure. But he would take complicated over easy any day if it meant Keith was his. 

Lance swore he’d never take Keith for granted again. It was one promise he would always keep, no matter what.

—————

They texted everyone shortly after to let them know Keith was okay and that everything was fine. A chorus of texts expressing relief flooded their phones before they tossed them to the side. They were sprawled out on the couch watching reruns of Cold Case Files, tangled up with each other, but neither minded. After everything it was nice to just be together,

Keith was losing it. He was still having trouble accepting the fact that Lance loves him back—loves him like he’s loved him for years. There was a voice in the back of his mind during their conversation that yelled at him, telling him not to believe Lance. Lance was only here because you almost left. He’s just saying all this so he doesn’t lose another person in his life. He doesn’t actually feel that way about you. But Keith had pushed all that away, choosing to ignore the voice that rang out so loud in his head. Because despite everything, he knew Lance. Yes, Lance fell fast and he usually fell hard. But if he was unsure of where things would go, that’s when he got nervous. Not like with Nyma where he dug deep for confidence that he desperately needed to impress her. With Keith, it was different. Unlike the girls he’d pined after and chased, Keith was a wild card.

In all honesty, Keith was ready to leave. He had hopped in Lance’s car—he planned on leaving it at Lance’s place, of course—and was going to go wherever he could, as long as it was away. He had left town, he did. But it wasn’t long until he realized how irrational he was being, how stupid of a choice leaving would be. He hadn’t even noticed he’d turned around until he saw the wooden sign welcoming him back.

And then Lance showed up, flustered and anxious and uncertain of what lay ahead. From the minute he saw him, Keith knew that the gig was up. There was no more hiding from his feelings. He couldn’t mask the truth any longer.

It was hard. One of the hardest things he’d ever done, but god had it ever been worth it. Here he was, relaxing with Lance mid-afternoon like it was something they did every day. In truth, it was something they did often, but never like this. Never crowded into each other’s space, finding every which way to cozy up and just be next to each other.

It was nice.

Until their friends came home. Hunk and Shay’s jaws had dropped, Shiro and Allura smiled proudly, and Pidge shrieked. They startled Keith and Lance, making them jump in surprise.

“What. The. Hell.” Pidge gawked, looking between the two of them.

“What?” they both said.

“Okay you were together for like, what, an hour? You guys really did all that in one hour?”

“All what?” Lance narrowed his eyes at Pidge, scrutinizing her with his gaze.

Pidge gestured wildly at their close proximity and entangled limbs. “That. Like, yeah, I knew you guys were hopelessly in love and all that shit, but I kind of expected this to take a bit longer.”

“Pidge!” Hunk exclaimed, shushing her.

“What? I mean, come on, look how long it’s been already. You can’t tell me Lance’s skull isn’t as thick as it is.”

Lance’s mouth dropped open. “Hey! I’m right here.”

“Well I’m happy for you guys,” Shiro said from behind Pidge. “I knew you’d figure it out.”

Keith shook his head, brows furrowed in confusion. “Hold on.” He looked from Shiro and Allura to the others. “I know Shiro knew and he probably told Allura, but the three of you knew too?”

Shay nodded, smiling sheepishly. “Actually when Hunk first introduced me to all of you, I asked him if you guys were dating.”

Hunk laughed. “That’s true.”

Lance’s eyes were practically bulging out of his head. “What’d you tell her?”

“I said ‘No, not yet, they’re kind of slow.’”

Everyone burst into laughter except Lance and Keith who were left staring at each other dumbfounded. All of their friends had known this entire time, but they hadn’t had the slightest clue.

How long could they have been together by now if they weren’t so dense?

Keith didn’t like thinking about it. Sure it was a painful road to get here, but it was what they needed. They needed to sort out their feelings on their own, gradually working their way to acceptance before involving the other. It hurt, no doubt, but Keith thought it was the only way. It was their way.

“Well, I think this calls for celebration!” Allura clasped her hands together, beaming. She looked almost. . . proud of them. Like a mother watching her baby go off on their own. 

And celebrate they did. Hunk, Shay, Pidge, Shiro, and Allura all pitched in for dinner, each cooking something and refusing to let Keith or Lance anywhere near the kitchen. They were ordered to relax and enjoy each other’s company. “Why would you not want to be alone?” Pidge had asked incredulously and neither of them could argue with that.

Hunk made his famous red velvet cupcakes—Keith’s favourite—for dessert. They were a hit for everyone else too, of course, but it was Keith who ate the most. After his third, Lance had grinned that blinding grin at him as he swiped a thumb by the corner of Keith’s mouth, mumbling incoherently about frosting on his face. Keith had blushed profusely and everyone cooed and awed at the new couple.

Laying in bed that night was awkward, to say the least. On a regular day Lance would almost always crowd Keith’s space, pushing him to the edge of the bed. Tonight, however, was different. They weren’t just best friends sharing a bed anymore. They were. . . well, were they boyfriends? Keith wasn’t too sure.

“So, we’re like, dating now, right?” he asked, trying to distract himself from the space between him and Lance.

“I mean, yeah, I thought so?” Lance said, then hurriedly added, “We don’t have to if you don’t want to? I mean, of course, you want to, that was a dumb question. I just meant that—”

“Lance.”

“Yeah?”

“I do.” Keith cleared his throat. “Want to date, I mean.”

He heard Lance let out a sigh of relief. “Good, yeah, okay. Boyfriends?”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah.”

They fell silent, neither wanting to start the sleep conversation. Were they supposed to cuddle? Act like nothing changed? Everything had changed. They were together now, in a much more intimate way. How were they supposed to go about this?

Swallowing his fears, Keith moved onto his side, scooting closer to Lance, leaving only inches between them. Carefully, like one might act with a wild animal, Keith laid his arm across Lance’s chest, not pulling him, but. . . holding him, kind of? He wasn’t sure what to consider it.

Lance shifted next to him, following suit and turning on his side. He shuffled the slightest bit closer, let out a content sigh, and allowed the ghost of a smile to grace his lips. “Goodnight, Keith,” he said, voice just above a whisper.

“Goodnight, Lance.”

And a good night it was.

—————

“Are you almost here?”

“Yes, geez, I told you I’m like two minutes away.”

Keith rolled his eyes, knowing full well Lance couldn’t see. “You said that five minutes ago.”

Silence on the other end. Then, Lance’s voice an octave higher. “Okay so I stretched the truth a little, but I didn’t expect you to keep track.”

“I just can’t wait for you to see the surprise.”

“Can’t you just tell me?”

“No,” Keith repeated for the fifth time that day. “I’ll see you soon.”

With that he hung up, stuffing his phone in his pocket. He leaned back against his car, arms crossed over his chest, watching the sidewalk for Lance.

Since they got back from the lake house, Keith had been working as much as possible on his car. The maintenance was a long time coming, he knew that, but he had never been able to get around to it. So the second he got back, he dedicated an hour before work—and sometimes after—to working on it. Now, it looked good as new. 

He wanted to send Lance a picture as soon as he finished, but knew it would look way better in person and would be a much bigger shock. He’d told Lance weeks ago that he had a side project, but hadn’t expanded any further. It was safe to say Lance had no idea about the car.

It wasn’t long before Lance came into view—three minutes after they hung up, not that Keith was counting—and he couldn't keep the smile from his face. Every time he saw him was like the first time. There was something about Lance that made it impossible to hate him. Sure he had his moments where he got a bit too cocky and came off as insufferable, but Keith saw past it all. He saw the real Lance, and it was still hard to believe he was his. His to hold, his to have, his to love. His his his.

The first few days were a bit awkward—they were still trying to see how they fit together as boyfriends instead of friends. There was a lot of blushing, rambling, and awkwardness, but they made it through. Once they were past all that, everything else came easy. It was second nature now to reach out and grab Lance’s hand, to press a kiss to his cheek, to cuddle up next to him. It felt right. That much was obvious.

“No way!” Lance shrieked as he got closer, hand coming up to cover his gaping mouth. “Is that your car?”

“The one and only.”

“Dude, it looks amazing.” Lance stopped in front of Keith, leaning in to press a quick kiss to his lips. He threw an arm around his shoulder, pulling Keith back with him to inspect the car. “This is what you were working on?”

Keith nodded. “I started right after we came back. Pretty sweet, huh?”

“It’s actually red now,” Lance teased.

Keith pinched his side, making him yelp and jump away from his side. “And that’s her name now,” Keith declared proudly. “Red.”

“You’re joking.”

“What?”

Lance chuckled. “That’s just a colour.”

Keith rolled his eyes, again. “Are you gonna stand here and criticize me all day or do you wanna go for a ride?”

“Depends.” Lance looked back and forth between Keith skeptically. “Is the AC fixed?”

“Yes, Lance.” He meant to keep his face serious, but he couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face. It was the effect Lance had on him—he couldn’t not be happy around his boyfriend.

“Then, hell yeah I wanna go for a ride!” Lance scurried around the car to the passenger side, pulling the door open and jumping in.

Keith followed, settling into the driver’s seat. He rested an arm on the centre console, turning to Lance who wore a matching grin. “Slushies?”

“Keith Kogane, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Pulling away from the curb, they began the drive to the gas station. But this time, Lance’s company wasn’t annoying. He wasn’t nervous about being around Lance for a long period of time. He was happy. Here he was in his beautiful, upgraded car with his boyfriend whom he loved with all his heart.

So yeah, Keith fell in love with Lance more than two years ago, and he was proud to say that that hadn’t changed. He was still very much in love with Lance, even more so, if that was possible.

It had been one hell of a journey, but wasn’t that the most exciting part? They were starting a new chapter, a fresh page, and what a ride it’d be.

They were in a world of their own; just them, Red, and the open road. Their whole lives lay ahead of them, waiting to be lived. He thought how lucky he was to have Lance by his side through it all.

And with all things considered, he only had one final thought:

How could he not be happy?

**Author's Note:**

> Fun Fact: the length of time mentioned in the first line (two months, seven days) was the amount of time that had passed between me watching Voltron for the first time and the day I started this fic ;)
> 
> Thank you for taking a chance on this fic, it means the world to me that you did! I started this fic with the goal of at least 10k words. I wanted to challenge myself and not only did I reach 10k words, I passed it. I wrote this fic not only because it was begging to be written, but because for a month, I fell back into the Klance pit rather hard. The events of the show hurt all over again and I needed to write something for myself. I'm so so happy to be sharing this with all of you on this wonderful site that has given me so much in the time that I've been here. 
> 
> If you enjoyed this fic, let me know all your thoughts in the comments! I'd love to hear what you have to say. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you, thank you! 'Til next time <3
> 
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